System for providing an access area for a data storage library

ABSTRACT

An enclosure configured to at least partially surround a data storage library, and a system including a data storage library and enclosure(s). The enclosure includes at least one surface configured to surround the at least one library access opening and form a chamber and to permit movement of the movable panel to permit access to the interior of the data storage library, and at least one enclosure access opening in the at least one of the surface to permit access to the interior of the chamber. The enclosure is configured to resist environmental conditions from intruding into the interior of the enclosure, and is further configured to permit exterior environmental conditions from within the interior of the library to intrude into the chamber of the enclosure.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a data storage library for the storageand data transfer of data storage media, and more specifically, to adata storage library having one or more library frames having one ormore enclosures surrounding at least an access opening of the one ormore library frames.

Automated data storage libraries are known for providing cost effectivestorage and retrieval of large quantities of data. The data in automateddata storage libraries is typically stored on media of data storagecartridges that are, in turn, stored at storage slots or the like insidethe library in a fashion that renders the media, and its resident data,accessible for physical retrieval. Such data storage cartridges arecommonly termed “removable media.” Data storage cartridge media maycomprise any type of media on which data may be stored and which mayserve as removable media, including but not limited to magnetic media(such as magnetic tape or disks), optical media (such as optical tape ordisks), electronic media (such as PROM, EEPROM, flash PROM,COMPACTFLASH™, SMARTMEDIA™, MEMORY STICK™, etc.), or other suitablemedia. An example of a data storage cartridge that is widely employed inautomated data storage libraries for mass data storage is a magnetictape cartridge.

In addition to data storage media, automated data storage librariestypically comprise data storage drives that store data to, and/orretrieve data from, the data storage cartridge media. Further, automateddata storage libraries typically comprise I/O stations at which datastorage cartridges are received, supplied or added to, or removed from,the library. The transport of data storage cartridges between datastorage slots, data storage drives, and I/O stations is typicallyaccomplished by one or more robotic accessors. Such accessors havegrippers for physically retrieving the selected data storage cartridgesfrom the storage slots within the automated data storage library andtransporting such cartridges to the data storage drives by moving, forexample, in the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) directions.

In an effort to increase storage capacity, deep slot technology allowsfor storage cells that contain more than a single data storagecartridge. Such storage libraries allow for higher density, or morecartridges stored per square foot. In “deep slot” libraries, two or morecartridges may be stored in a multi-cartridge deep slot cell, arrayed inseries, one behind the other, in tiers ranging from a front-most tier toa rearmost tier.

Efforts to improve the performance of traditional data centers attemptto minimize the cost of processing and storing data. One option that isemployed to reduce operational costs of datacenters is to run theequipment in the datacenter at the high end of its environmentaloperational limits, thereby allowing for cooling of the datacenter to bereduced. In other words, datacenters are running increasingly hot andmore humid conditions than traditional datacenters in an attempt toreduce operating costs. Although this strategy may be effective whenapplied to disk and/or flash data storage environments, magnetic tape ismore susceptible to degradation when exposed to these unfavorableconditions. Therefore, this option is not available for magnetic tapelibraries.

In an effort to control the environment within magnetic tape librariesso as to provide suitable working conditions for magnetic tape media,data storage drives, etc., air conditioning units may be incorporatedinto the data storage libraries themselves. While these air conditioningunits effectively control the temperature and humidity within the datastorage libraries, the environmental conditions of the area surroundingthe data storage libraries remain largely unchanged, with conditionsoften being higher in both temperature and humidity. While this mayallow a datacenter to operate at reduced costs, it may also result in amarked temperature differential between the interior and exteriorenvironments of the data storage libraries. Such a temperaturedifferential may prove problematic during service of the data storagelibrary and/or replacement of data storage library components such asdata storage cartridges, data storage drives, library controllers, powersupplies, fiber channel switches, Ethernet switches, etc., ascondensation may develop on replacement cartridges and other serviceparts during installation and/or removal from the data storage library.Condensation accumulation on such sensitive componentry may causecomponent failure and/or data loss.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an enclosure configuredto at least partially surround at least one access opening that permitsaccess to an interior of a data storage library is disclosed, the atleast one access opening having a movable panel. The enclosure includesat least one surface configured to surround the at least one libraryaccess opening and form a chamber, and to permit movement of the movablepanel to permit access to the interior of the data storage library, andat least one enclosure access opening in the at least one of the surfaceto permit access to the interior of the chamber. The enclosure isconfigured to resist environmental conditions from intruding into theinterior of the enclosure, and is further configured to permitenvironmental conditions from within the interior of the library tointrude into the chamber of the enclosure.

The enclosure may further include a working opening configured andadapted to be aligned with and be oppositely facing at least a portionof the at one access opening, wherein the working opening is in asurface of the enclosure and the access opening is in a different sidewall of the enclosure. The at least one side wall may be formed of atleast one flexible material. Additionally, the enclosure may furtherinclude a collapsible frame structure, and/or at least one environmentalsensor for detecting and measuring at least one of temperature,humidity, and combinations thereof.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an enclosureconfigured to at least partially surround a data storage library isdisclosed. The enclosure includes at least one side surface configuredto surround all sides of the data storage library and form a chamber,and to permit movement of at least one access panel associated with atleast one data storage library access opening. The enclosure alsoincludes at least one access opening in the at least one side surface topermit access to the interior of the chamber, the opening beingselectively openable and closable, wherein the enclosure is configuredto surround the data storage library to impede environmental conditionsfrom intruding into the interior of the chamber and is furtherconfigured to acclimate to have environmental conditions within adesired range of the desired environmental conditions of the datastorage library.

The plurality of side surfaces of the enclosure are formed of materialsselected from the group consisting of flexible materials and rigidmaterials, the flexible materials selected from the group consisting ofnylon, polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramidsynthetic fiber, and combinations thereof, and the rigid materialsselected from the group consisting of wood, plastic, carbon fiber,metal, and combinations thereof. Additionally, the enclosure may furtherinclude a vent, wherein the vent is configured to relieve waste airgenerated by at least one environmental conditioning unit associatedwith the data storage library from intruding into the chamber of theenclosure.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a system is disclosedwhich includes a data storage library, wherein the data storage libraryis configured to read and receive media associated with one or more datastorage cartridges, and further wherein the data storage librarycomprises at least one access opening for accessing the interior of thedata storage library having an associated movable panel. The system alsoincludes at least one environmental conditioning unit configured tocontrol at least one environmental condition within the data storagelibrary, and at least one enclosure configured to surround the at leastone access opening of the data storage library, wherein the at least oneenclosure forms a barrier to resist environmental conditions fromintruding into the interior of the data storage library when the movablepanel is moved to expose the at least one access opening.

In accordance with another aspect, a system is disclosed which includesa data storage library having at least one access opening, and at leastone environmental conditioning unit configured to control one or moreenvironmental conditions within the data storage library. The systemalso includes at least one enclosure configured to surround the datastorage library, the at least one enclosure configured to form achamber, and wherein the enclosure forms a barrier to impedeenvironmental conditions from intruding into the interior of thelibrary.

According to another aspect, a system is disclosed which includes a datastorage library, wherein the data storage library is configured to readand receive media associated with one or more data storage cartridges,and further wherein the data storage library comprises at least oneaccess opening for servicing the interior of the data storage libraryhaving an associated movable panel, and at least one environmentalconditioning unit configured to control at least one environmentalcondition within the data storage library. The system also includes atleast one enclosure configured to surround the at least one accessopening of the data storage library, wherein the enclosure forms abarrier to resist environmental conditions from intruding into theinterior of the library when the movable panel is moved to expose the atleast one access opening. Additionally, the system includes at least oneenclosure environmental conditioning unit, wherein the at least oneenclosure environmental conditioning unit is configured to be separatefrom, but fluidly coupled to, the at least one enclosure, wherein thedata storage library environmental conditioning unit is separate fromthe at least one enclosure environmental conditioning unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an automated data storage libraryaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of another embodiment of an automated datastorage library.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the interior of a storage frame from thedata storage library of FIGS. 1A & 1B.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an automated data storage libraryaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a controller configuration accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of a system for storing magnetic recordingmedia, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with one aspect.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a data storage library and enclosure inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method of accessing a data storage libraryto perform a service procedure within the data storage library inaccordance with one aspect.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method of accessing a data storage libraryto perform a service procedure within the data storage library inaccordance with another aspect.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method of accessing a data storage libraryto perform a service procedure within the data storage library inaccordance with yet another aspect.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method of accessing a data storage libraryto perform a service procedure within the data storage library inaccordance with yet another aspect.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a method of accessing a data storage libraryto perform a service procedure within the data storage library inaccordance with yet another aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the present invention and is not meant to limitthe inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular featuresdescribed herein can be used in combination with other describedfeatures in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be giventheir broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied fromthe specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in theart and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1A & 1B and FIG. 2 illustrate an example of a data storage system,e.g., an automated data storage library 10 which stores and retrievesdata storage cartridges, containing data storage media (not shown), frommulti-cartridge deep slot storage cells 100 and single cartridge storageslots 16. Examples of an automated data storage library which has asimilar configuration as that depicted in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, and may beimplemented with some of the various approaches herein may include IBMTS4500 Library or the IBM 3584 UltraScalable Tape Library.

The library 10 in the embodiment of FIG. 1A comprises a left handservice bay 13, one or more storage frames 11, and right hand servicebay 14. The library 10 of FIG. 1B comprises a left handed service bay13, one or more storage frames 11, a right handed service bay 14 andoptional environmental conditioning units 1012 which may control thetemperature, humidity and/or other environmental conditions in theinterior of the library 10. While two environmental conditioning unitsare shown in FIG. 1B, it will be appreciated that more or lessenvironmental conditioning units 1012 may be associated with thelibrary, and in circumstances the library may have no environmentalconditioning units. As will be discussed in further detail below, aframe may comprise an expansion component of the library. Thus, storageframes may be added or removed to expand or reduce the size and/orfunctionality of the library. According to different approaches, framesmay include additional storage slots, deep storage slot cells, drives,import/export stations, accessors, operator panels, controller cards,communication cards, etc. Moreover, an accessor aisle 12 preferablyextends between the storage frames and bays of the embodiments in FIGS.1A & 1B thereby allowing an accessor to move between frames. A movableand/or deployable panel 21 may be displaced to cover and/or block (aswell uncover and/or unblock) aisle 12 from communicating with theexterior of the data storage library. Panel 21 may be moved and/orremoved to permit access to the interior of the service bays 13, 14.Panel 21 may be a window to permit visibility into the library 10.Herein, library frame may refer to an expansion frame or expansionmodule of an expandable library, or it may refer to part or all of anonexpandable library.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a storage frame 11, which mayact as the base frame and/or the minimum configuration of the library10. The storage frame 11 illustrated in FIG. 2 may have only a singleaccessor 18 (i.e., there are no redundant accessors) and no service bay.However, in other embodiments, a storage frame may include multiplerobotic accessors and/or service bays.

Looking to FIG. 2, the library 10 is arranged for accessing data storagemedia in response to commands from at least one external host system(not shown). The library 10 includes a plurality of storage slots 16 onfront wall 17 and a plurality of multi-cartridge deep slot cells 100 onrear wall 19, both of which may be used for storing data storagecartridges that may contain data storage media. According to oneapproach, the storage slots 16 are configured to store a single datastorage cartridge, and the multi-cartridge deep slot cells 100 areconfigured to store a plurality of data storage cartridges. Thearrangement and positioning of the storage slots 16 and the deep slotcells 100 may be different than illustrated in FIG. 2.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the storage frame 11 of the library10 also includes at least one data storage drive 15, e.g., for readingand/or writing data with respect to the data storage media in the datastorage cartridges. Additionally, a first accessor 18 may be used totransport data storage cartridges containing data storage media betweenthe plurality of storage slots 16, the multi-cartridge deep slot cells100, and/or the data storage drive(s) 15. According to variousapproaches, the data storage drives 15 may be optical disk drives,magnetic tape drives, or other types of data storage drives that areused to read and/or write data with respect to the data storage media.

As illustrated, the storage frame 11 may optionally include an operatorpanel or other user interface, such as a web-based interface, whichallows a user to interact with the library 10. Optionally, the library10 may have an associated software application having a user interface,which also allows a user to interact with the library 10. The softwareapplication may be executable on a computing device, a remote server, acloud or a mobile device.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the automated data storage library 10 asdescribed in reference to FIGS. 1A & 1B and FIG. 2, is depictedaccording to one embodiment. According to a preferred approach, thelibrary 10 may employ a controller, e.g., arranged as a distributedsystem of modules with a plurality of processor nodes.

In one approach, the library is controlled, not by a central controller,but rather, by a distributed control system for receiving logicalcommands and converting the commands to physical movements of theaccessor and gripper, and for operating the drives in accordance withthe desired physical movements. The distributed control system may alsoprovide logistical support, such as responding to host requests forelement status, inventory, library status, etc. The specific commands,the conversion of those commands to physical movements of the accessor,gripper, controllers, and other components, and the operation of thedrives may be of a type known to those of skill in the art.

While the automated data storage library 10 has been described asemploying a distributed control system, various other approachesdescribed and/or suggested herein may be implemented in automated datastorage libraries regardless of control configuration, such as, but notlimited to, an automated data storage library having one or more librarycontrollers that are not distributed.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, library 10 receives commands fromone or more host systems 40, 41, 42. The host systems 40, 41, 42, suchas host servers, communicate with the library directly, e.g., on line 80(e.g., path), through one or more control ports (not shown), or throughone or more data storage drives 15 on paths 81, 82. Thus, in differentapproaches, the host systems 40, 41, 42 may provide commands to accessparticular data storage cartridges and move the cartridges, for example,between the storage slots 16, the deep slot cells 100, and the datastorage drives 15. The commands are typically logical commandsidentifying the data storage cartridges or data storage cartridge media,and/or logical locations for accessing the media. Furthermore, it shouldbe noted that the terms “commands” and “work requests” are usedinterchangeably herein to refer to such communications from the hostsystem 40, 41, 42 to the library 10 as are intended to result inaccessing particular data storage media within the library 10 dependingon the desired approach.

According to one embodiment, the library 10 may be controlled by alibrary controller. Moreover, in various approaches, the librarycontroller may include a distributed control system receiving thelogical commands from hosts, determining the required actions, and/orconverting the actions to physical movements of the first and/or secondaccessors 18, 28 and/or gripper assemblies 20, 30. In another approach,the distributed control system may have a plurality of processor nodes,each having one or more computer processors. According to one example ofa distributed control system, a communication processor node 50 may belocated in a storage frame 11. The communication processor node providesa communication link for receiving the host commands, either directly orthrough the drives 15, via at least one external interface, e.g.,coupled to line 80.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication processor node 50 is coupledto each of the data storage drives 15 of a storage frame 11, via lines70, and may communicate with the drives 15 and with host systems 40, 41,42. Alternatively, the host systems 40, 41, 42 may be directly coupledto the communication processor node 50, at line 80 (e.g., input) forexample, or to control port devices (not shown) which connect thelibrary to the host system(s) with a library interface similar to thedrive/library interface. As is known to those of skill in the art,various communication arrangements may be employed for communicationwith the hosts and with the data storage drives. In the example of FIG.3, lines 80 and 81 are intended to be Ethernet and a SCSI bus,respectively, and may serve as host connections. However, path 82comprises an example of a Fibre Channel bus which is a high speed serialdata interface, allowing transmission over greater distances than theSCSI bus systems.

According to some approaches, the data storage drives 15 may be in closeproximity to the communication processor node 50, and may employ a shortdistance communication scheme, such as Ethernet, or a serial connection,such as RS-422. Thus, the data storage drives 15 may be individuallycoupled to the communication processor node 50 by lines 70.Alternatively, the data storage drives 15 may be coupled to thecommunication processor node 50 through one or more networks.

Furthermore, additional storage frames 11 may be provided, whereby eachis preferably coupled to the adjacent storage frame. According tovarious approaches, any of the additional storage frames 11 may includecommunication processor nodes 50, storage slots 16, storage cells 100,data storage drives 15, networks 60, etc.

An automated data storage library 10 typically comprises one or morecontrollers to direct the operation of the automated data storagelibrary. Moreover, host computers and data storage drives typicallyinclude similar controllers. A library controller may take manydifferent forms and may comprise, for example, but is not limited to, anembedded system, a distributed control system, a personal computer, aworkstation, etc. The term “library controller” as used herein isintended in its broadest sense as a device that includes at least oneprocessor, and optionally further circuitry and/or logic, forcontrolling and/or providing at least some aspects of libraryoperations.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a typical controller 400 is shown with aprocessor 402, Random Access Memory (RAM) 403, nonvolatile memory 404,device specific circuits 401, and I/O interface 405. Alternatively, theRAM 403 and/or nonvolatile memory 404 may be contained in the processor402 as could the device specific circuits 401 and I/O interface 405. Theprocessor 402 may comprise, for example, an off-the-shelfmicroprocessor, custom processor, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA),Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), discrete logic, etc. TheRAM 403 is typically used to hold variable data, stack data, executableinstructions, etc.

According to various approaches, the nonvolatile memory 404 may compriseany type of nonvolatile memory such as, but not limited to, ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash Programmable ReadOnly Memory (PROM), battery backup RAM, hard disk drives, etc. However,the nonvolatile memory 404 is typically used to hold the executablefirmware and any nonvolatile data containing programming instructionsthat can be executed to cause the processor 402 to perform certainfunctions.

In some embodiments, the I/O interface 405 may include a communicationinterface that allows the processor 402 to communicate with devicesexternal to the controller. Examples of the communication interface maycomprise, but are not limited to, serial interfaces such as RS-232, USB(Universal Serial Bus), Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), RS-422or a wireless communication interface such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,near-field communication (NFC) or other wireless interfaces. Thecontroller 400 may communicate with an external device via thecommunication interface 405 in any communication protocols such asAutomation/Drive Interface (ADI).

The device specific circuits 401 provide additional hardware to enablethe controller 400 to perform unique functions including, but notlimited to, motor control of an accessor cartridge gripper. Moreover,the device specific circuits 401 may include electronics that provide,by way of example but not limitation, Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)control, Analog to Digital Conversion (ADC), Digital to AnalogConversion (DAC), etc. In addition, all or part of the device specificcircuits 401 may reside outside the controller 400.

While the automated data storage library 10 is described as employing adistributed control system, the various approaches described and/orsuggested herein may be implemented in various automated data storagelibraries regardless of control configuration, including, but notlimited to, an automated data storage library having one or more librarycontrollers that are not distributed. Moreover, a library controller maycomprise one or more dedicated controllers of a library, depending onthe desired embodiment. For example, there may be a primary controllerand a backup controller. In addition, a library controller may compriseone or more processor nodes of a distributed control system. Accordingto one example, communication processor node 50 (e.g., of FIG. 3) maycomprise the library controller while the other processor nodes (ifpresent) may assist the library controller and/or may provide backup orredundant functionality. In another example, communication processornode 50 and work processor node 52 may work cooperatively to form thelibrary controller while the other processor nodes (if present) mayassist the library controller and/or may provide backup or redundantfunctionality. Still further, all of the processor nodes may comprisethe library controller. According to various approaches described and/orsuggested herein, a library controller may have a single processor orcontroller, or it may include multiple processors or controllers, ormultiple cores in a processor chip.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a system 1000 includes a frame 1002 of anautomated data storage library 1004. As described above, automated datastorage libraries are typically used to store cartridges and drives inlarge arrays to store large amounts of data. Thus, an interior of frame1002 is illustrated as a tape library in one embodiment, and is depictedas including one or more tape drives 1006, an area for storing tapecartridges (e.g., multi-cartridge deep slot cells 1008 and singlecartridge storage slots 1009), and a robotic accessor 1010, among othercomponents which would be apparent to one skilled in the art uponreading the present description (e.g., see FIG. 2 above).

System 1000 further includes an optional environmental conditioning unit1012 associated with the frame 1002. The environmental conditioning unit1012 may be integrated with and coupled to frame 1002. For the purposesof the present disclosure, it is to be understood that an environmentalconditioning unit may be any device which conditions the air and/or thesurrounding environment and is able to change one or more environmentalconditions. The environmental conditions may include (but are notlimited to) temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. In one embodiment, theenvironmental conditioning unit may be an air-conditioning unit. Inother embodiments, the environmental conditioning unit may be athermo-electric heater, a thermo-electric cooler, an electric heater, aliquid heater, a liquid cooler, a heat pump, an evaporative cooler, anionizer, a de-ionizer, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, one or more fans,or any combination thereof. An environmental conditioning unit inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure may increase ordecrease the temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. The environmentalconditioning unit 1012 may be coupled to an upper surface 1014 (e.g.,the roof) of the frame 1002 as shown in FIGS. 1B and FIG. 5. Theenvironmental conditioning unit 1012 preferably operates withoutnegatively affecting the operating conditions in the frame 1002.Alternatively, an environmental conditioning unit may be functionallyassociated with the frame 1002 by positioning the environmentalconditioning unit elsewhere and using ducts to route the air to theinterior of the frame 1002, coupling the environmental conditioning unitto a side of the frame 1002, coupling the environmental conditioningunit to a bottom of the frame 1002 (underneath the frame 1002), etc.,depending on the desired approach.

The environmental conditioning unit 1012 is preferably configured suchthat it may adjust, change and/or regulate the relative conditions(e.g., temperature, humidity, contaminant presence via filtering, etc.)inside the frame 1002. Thus, according to different approaches, theenvironmental conditioning unit may be able to reduce the temperature ofthe interior of the frame 1002 and/or reduce the relative humidity ofthe interior of the frame 1002, depending on the type of environmentalconditioning unit 1012 employed. The environmental conditioning unit1012 is preferably configured to turn on and off as desired to maintaina selected environment (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) in theinterior of the frame 1002. Alternatively, the environmentalconditioning unit may have a fan and the fan can be left always on tokeep air circulating within the interior of the frame. In oneembodiment, the environmental conditioning unit may be an airconditioning unit and the fan may be continuously on and the compressormay turn on and off to maintain a selected temperature and/or humidityin the interior of the frame 1002.

As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the environmentalconditioning unit 1012 may be an air conditioning unit and may be ableto adjust the relative temperature and/or humidity of the interior ofthe frame 1002 in a conventional manner. Cold air may flow into theinterior of the frame 1002 via an inlet air duct 1030 which may connectthe environmental conditioning unit 1012 to the interior of the frame1002, and form an inlet 1035 in the upper surface 1014 of the frame1002. Specifically, an inlet air duct 1030 may direct the air cooled bythe environmental conditioning unit 1012 into the interior of the frame1002, e.g., where the majority of the data storage media may be stored.As a result, air flow is created from the environmental conditioningunit 1012 to the interior of the frame 1002, as indicated by arrows1024. This air flow may be induced by a fan included in theenvironmental conditioning unit 1012 and/or by using the fans in the oneor more tape drives 1006 in the frame 1002. Although the air flow ispreferably directed from the environmental conditioning unit 1012 to theinterior of the frame 1002, and from the interior of the frame 1002 backto the environmental conditioning unit 1012, the particular path thatthe air flow is shown as extending along in the present embodiment byarrows 1024 is in no way intended to limit the disclosure or theinvention. For example, rather than recirculating air from withinautomated data storage library 1004, air may be drawn in from outsideautomated data storage library 1004, cooled by the environmentalconditioning unit 1012, and then forced out vents, cracks or openings(not shown) in automated data storage library 1004. This would have theeffect of creating a positive pressure within automated data storagelibrary 1004, to help prevent unconditioned air from leaking inside thelibrary in the event that seals are not used or a door, panel, hatch,etc. is opened for accessing the interior of automated data storagelibrary 1004, and it would also permit a greater area of recirculation(beyond the interior of automated data storage library 1004), as will bediscussed.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, system 1000 may include an enclosure1020 for the environmental conditioning unit 1012. An additional fan1040 may be included in the enclosure 1020 for passing ambient air overexternal components of the environmental conditioning unit 1012 tofurther promote heating, cooling and/or conditioning of the air (e.g.,to exhaust waste air). Moreover, the enclosure 1020 may include anopening, a baffle or baffles, etc. to direct ambient air exterior to thelibrary 1004 toward an inlet 1022 of the environmental conditioning unit1012.

In one embodiment, any vents, voids, seams, etc. in the frame 1002 ofthe library 1004, other than inlet 1035 and an outlet 1032 in an uppersurface 1014 of the frame 1002, are preferably sealed such that air fromoutside the frame 1002 is restricted from entering the interior thereof.The frame 1002 may be sealed using any processes which would be apparentto one skilled in the art upon reading the present description, e.g.,including but not limited to inserting foam, implementing insulatingseals, etc. New frames may be built without any vents, voids, seams,etc. The housing and panels enclosing the frame 1002 may also beinsulated to prevent or inhibit unconditioned air from entering theframe 1002.

The frame 1002 may also include one or more environmental sensors 1050exterior to the library 1004 and may also include one or more sensors1055 exterior to the library 1004 but inside the enclosure 1020 for theenvironmental conditioning unit 1012. In one embodiment the sensors 1055may be located in front of inlet 1022 of the environmental conditioningunit 1012. The environmental sensors 1050, 1055 may be any sensorappropriate for determining the environmental conditions at the sensorlocation, such as one or more temperature sensors, one or more humiditysensors, one or more pressure sensors, etc. The one or moreenvironmental sensors 1050, 1055 may be in communication with a librarycontroller, such as library controller 400 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 4 and/or environmental conditioning unit 1012. The oneor more signals provided by the environmental sensors 1050, 1055 may beutilized to control the output and operation of the environmentalconditioning unit 1012. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5includes a single frame 1002 and a single environmental conditioningunit 1012, other embodiments may include additional frames and/orenvironmental conditioning units.

System 1000 illustrated in FIG. 5 may further comprise one or moreenvironmental sensors 1028 disposed within the interior of the library1002. The environmental sensor(s) may be any appropriate sensor fordetermining the environmental conditions within the frame 1002, such asone or more temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one ormore pressure sensors, etc. The one or more environmental sensors 1028may be in communication with a library controller, such as controller400 shown and described with respect to FIG. 4 and/or environmentalconditioning unit 1012. As such, the signal provided by the one or moreenvironmental sensors 1028 may be utilized to control the output andoperation of the environmental conditioning unit 1012.

Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a single frame1002 and a single environmental conditioning unit 1012, otherembodiments may include additional frames and/or environmentalconditioning units.

While a data storage library having an associated and/or integratedenvironmental conditioning unit advantageously controls theenvironmental conditions within the library, some challenges may existwhen components within such a data storage library need to be servicedor replaced. As noted above, many data centers are now maintained athigher temperatures and higher humidity levels to reduce the costsrelating to cooling the environment where the data storage library islocated, e.g., the data center. For this reason, environmentalconditions of the data center may be substantially different from thosewithin a data storage library having an associated environmentalconditioning unit which controls the environmental conditions within thedata storage library. As such, a component (e.g., a data storage drive,data storage cartridge, library control card, communication cards, etc.)that is moved abruptly from, for example, the cool, dry environment ofthe data storage library to the warm, humid environment of the datacenter may cause condensation to form on surfaces thereof. Additionally,opening a door at an access opening to the data storage library may alsointroduce air from the data center into the conditioned environment ofthe data storage library, potentially causing the formation andaccumulation of condensation on various surfaces within the data storagelibrary. Moisture build-up on surfaces of sensitive components such asdata storage cartridges and tape drives is undesirable, as moisture maylead to equipment damage, up to and including failure of the componentsand/or data loss. A library access opening may be covered or blocked bya movable panel. Herein, a movable panel may comprise a door, amagazine, an I/O station port, a service panel, a plate, a hatch, aflap, a cover, a wall, a floor, a ceiling, a panel, an air curtain orany other structure or mechanism that may cover an opening, or provideaccess, to the interior of the library.

Thus, in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, an apparatus, forexample an enclosure, is provided that may be configured, arranged, andtransformable to at least partially surround a data storage library. Thedata storage library may comprise an associated environmentalconditioning unit (e.g., an air conditioning unit). The enclosure may beconfigured to substantially acclimate to the environmental conditionsfound within the library frames of the data storage library. Theenclosure may permit an access door, access panel, and/or barrier of thedata storage library to be opened (at an access opening of the library)in a manner that inhibits, resists, and/or prevents an influx of airfrom the surrounding data center into the interior of the data storagelibrary. Herein, a library access panel may include a movable panel. Theenclosure may resist, inhibit, and/or prevent thermal shock and/or otherundesirable environmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants,condensation formation and/or accumulation on sensitive componentry,etc.) during insert or removal of media, service and/or maintenanceprocedures due to wide variations in environmental conditions betweenthe interior of the data storage library and the exterior data center.Herein, servicing the library and a service procedure may compriseinserting and/or removing of data storage cartridges, repair orreplacement of library components, installation of new components,preventative maintenance and/or performing testing of part or all of thelibrary. Herein, technician, may comprise a service person, a supportperson, a library operator, a library administrator, a user, or anyother person (or human adult) that requires access to the interior ofthe library and the terms may be used interchangeably.

Referring to FIG. 6, a service access system 2000 in accordance with anaspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. Service access system2000 comprises an enclosure 2001 configured to substantially surround adata storage library frame(s) 1002, such as that described above withrespect to FIG. 5. While FIG. 6 only shows library frame 1002 comprisinga single library frame, it is to be understood that library frame 1002may comprise a plurality of frames, such as that which is illustrated inFIGS. 1A-1B. Library frame(s) 1002 may comprise conventional datastorage library componentry, similar to that which is found in library10 described above with respect to FIG. 2. For instance, one or more oflibrary frames 1002 may comprise a plurality of storage slots to holddata storage cartridges associated with data storage media, one or moredata storage drives to read and/or write data associated with the mediaassociated with the data storage cartridges, and one or more roboticaccessors. Furthermore, while not shown in FIG. 6, data storage libraryframe(s) 1002 may be associated and/or equipped with one or moreenvironmental conditioning units, such as that which is described abovewith respect to data storage library 10 in FIG. 1B and 1004 in FIG. 5.The environmental conditioning unit(s) may control one or moreenvironmental conditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) within thelibrary frame(s) 1002. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that thedata storage library will be a tape library which may include tapecartridges, tape drives, and accessors.

As noted above, service access system 2000 comprises an enclosure 2001adapted and configured to substantially and/or entirely surround thedata storage library frame(s) 1002 and preferably permits access to thedata storage library in a manner that separates, insulates, and/orisolates environmental conditions from the exterior of the data storagelibrary from intruding into the data storage library during insert orremoval of media, a service, upgrade and/or maintenance procedure.Enclosure 2001 may comprise one or more side wall(s) or panels 2002.Enclosure 2001 may include at least one top panel 2004 disposed over thetop surface of data storage library 1002 (and any associatedenvironmental conditioning unit(s), such as environmental conditioningunit 1012 shown within enclosure 1020 in FIGS. 1B and 5). Enclosure 2001may have a tent-like structure, with the capability of being easily andquickly installed (and/or uninstalled) to substantially surround a datastorage library 1002. The side wall panels 2002 may be self-supporting,or may be held by a collapsible and/or removable framework structure(not shown). The framework structure may be formed of any appropriatematerial, such as, for example, a plurality of fiberglass, carbon fiber,aluminum, or para-aramid synthetic fiber poles, brackets, extensions,etc. Furthermore, the bottom portion of enclosure 2001 may include aplurality of wheels or slidable structures thereon in order to aid inthe movement and portability of enclosure 2001. The framework structuremay be broken down so as to enable the enclosure 2001 to be portable andstorable when not in use. Additionally, the framework structure maycomprise a plurality of spring-biased joints, enabling the structure toautomatically erect when opened. While shown surrounding libraryframe(s) 1002 in FIG. 6, it is to be understood that enclosure 2001 mayor may not be erected alone and may not require the presence of one ormore library frames 1002 in order to maintain shape and form.

Enclosure 2001 may be formed of any suitable material, such as nylon,polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid syntheticfiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other flexible material. The materialpreferably provides a barrier to environmental conditions. In oneembodiment, the enclosure resists, inhibits, and/or preventsenvironmental conditions outside the enclosure from intruding and/orinfiltrating into the interior chamber formed by the enclosure. Inanother embodiment, the enclosure 2001 is capable of providing andmaintaining stable environmental conditions within the enclosure 2001.In yet another embodiment, the enclosure 2001 may be substantiallysealable. Additionally and/or alternatively, enclosure 2001 may comprisemultiple layers of multiple materials, either alike or different, so asto provide varying degrees of insulating properties, if needed. One ormore layers of material of enclosure 2001 may be an insulation layer.Furthermore, at least a portion of enclosure 2001 may be formed of asubstantially water-resistant or waterproof material.

At least one closable access door 2008 may be provided on at least oneof side wall panel(s) 2002 so as to allow an access opening by anoperator into the interior chamber 2010 formed by enclosure 2001. Accessdoor 2008 may be made of the any suitable material or combination ofmaterials, and they may be the same or different materials thanenclosure 2001, such as, for example, nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton,silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), orany other flexible material. In one embodiment, the access door 2008 maybe selectively openable and closable. When open, access door 2008provides an access opening 2009 preferably of sufficient size to permita technician (human adult) access to the interior chamber 2010 of theenclosure 2001. Furthermore, access door 2008 may be configured as ahinged door (e.g., an office door, cabinet door, etc.), hinged flap(e.g., a non-zippered door to a camping tent), a zippered door (e.g., azippered camping tent door), one or more vertically-hanging slats orflaps (e.g., a door to a high-traffic cold storage room), a splitmembrane (e.g., a flexible slot or hole that remains closed until forcedopen), an air curtain (e.g., a high-traffic store front that uses a wallof forced air to create an environmental barrier), a sliding panel(e.g., a sliding closet door, a pocket door, etc.), a rolled door (e.g.,rolling blinds, rolled security door, etc.), or any other appropriateclosure capable of allowing selective access, yet allowing closure inorder to provide a barrier between the environment within enclosure 2001and the environment outside the enclosure 2001.

When access door 2008 is closed, enclosure 2001 may form a chamberhaving environmental conditions around library frame(s) 1002, eitherencompassing all of the library frame(s) 1002, or at least thoseportions of library frame(s) 1002, where a technician may gain access tothe interior of frame(s) 1002. The chamber 2010 formed by enclosure 2001may be brought to the same or similar environmental condition(s) as theinterior environmental conditions of library frame(s) 1002 in oneembodiment via communication with the conditioned air provided to theinterior of frame(s) 1002. For example, frame(s) 1002 may have one ormore vents 1090 capable of transferring conditioned air from withinframe(s) 1002 externally, thereby providing the conditioned air into theinterior of enclosure 2001 and/or circulating return air from theinterior of enclosure 2001. Alternatively, vent(s) 1090 may be coupleddirectly to the input (return air) and/or output (supply air) of theenvironmental conditioning unit without first going through the interiorof frame(s) 1002. If adjustable, vent(s) 1090 may be selectively openedand closed, either manually (e.g., by a technician moving a ventclosure, as a result of a technician closing access door 2008, etc.) orautomatically (e.g., using actuators or motors under the control of alibrary controller, a dedicated enclosure controller, under the controlof an environmental conditioning unit, etc.), to communicate conditionedair into enclosure 2001. Alternatively and/or additionally, one or moreportals or doors may be provided in library frame(s) 1002 to allowconditioned air from within the library frame(s) 1002 to reach theenclosure 2001.

Furthermore, library frame(s) 1002 may naturally leak a certain amountof conditioned air during operation that would effectively condition theair within enclosure 2001, even without dedicated vent(s), portal(s),door(s), opening(s), etc. This may be especially true if theenvironmental conditioning unit is configured to generate a positivepressure inside the automated data storage library by drawing the intakeair from outside the library (e.g., the air intake comes from withinenclosure 2001, the air intake comes from outside enclosure 2001 andfrom outside the library, etc.). Enclosure 2001 may also utilize one ormore environmental condition sensors 2005 (e.g., temperature and/orhumidity sensors) so as to monitor the environmental conditions withinthe enclosure 2001. Measurements, readings, and/or signals from the oneor more environmental condition sensors 2005 may be provided to acontroller (e.g., a library controller such as controller 400 shown anddescribed with respect to FIG. 4, a dedicated enclosure controller,etc.), may be provided to an environmental conditioning unit (such asenvironmental conditioning unit 1012 shown and described with respect toFIG. 5), and/or may be provided to a display (not shown) such that theoperator may visually determine the environmental conditions within theenclosure 2001. If readings are supplied to a controller, the controllermay make a comparison between the sensors inside the library and insidethe enclosure and provide a visual, audible, or other alert when accessto the library may be made. Alternatively, enclosure 2001 may compriseno environmental condition sensors, and an operator or servicetechnician may rely solely on the passage of time or operator judgementto determine when the desired environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity) in the enclosure 2001 are the same, similarto, and/or within a desired range as the corresponding environmentalcondition(s) within library frame(s) 1002. For example, the technicianmay wait twenty-four (24) hours after setting up the enclosure beforeservicing the library frame(s). The technician may wait more or lessthan twenty-four (24) hours; which may depend upon a number of factors.

The enclosure 2001 in FIG. 6 is configured and adapted to substantiallyand/or entirely surround the data storage library. Optionally, theenclosure may also provide a chamber of sufficient size to permit thetechnician to enter the interior 2010 of the enclosure 2001 through theaccess door 2008 and close the access door 2008 while the technician(human adult) is inside the enclosure 2001. The chamber is preferably ofsufficient size that the technician can move and/or open the desiredaccess panels and/or doors of the data storage library while within theenclosure 2001, and preferably has sufficient room to insert or removemedia, provide repair services, upgrades and/or maintenance on thelibrary.

While not shown in FIG. 6, library frame(s) 1002 may comprise or have atleast one environmental conditioning unit 1012, such as those shown inFIGS. 1B and 5. It may be desirable to provide active venting (i.e.,venting that utilizes fans or forced air) or passive venting (i.e., noair movement devices) to the at least one environmental conditioningunit 1012, independent of the space inside enclosure 2001 (e.g.,insulated or isolated from the air inside enclosure 2001). For example,the at least one associated and/or integrated environmental conditioningunit 1012 may comprise an air conditioner. Air conditioners generallycomprises a heat exchanger, which emits waste heat therefrom. Ifenclosure 2001 were to fully enclose environmental conditioning unit1012, the waste heat emitted by environmental conditioning unit 1012 maycause the environmental conditions within enclosure 2001 to becomewarmer, regardless of any communication with the interior environmentalconditions of the library frame(s) 1002. In another example, the atleast one environmental conditioning unit 1012 may comprise a heat pumpwhich may produce cold waste air. Air conditioners, thermoelectriccoolers, heat pumps, thermoelectric heaters are a few examples ofenvironmental conditioning units that may produce waste air and thusbenefit from venting. Thus, system 2000 may further comprise one or morevents 2006 capable of venting waste air from the environmentalconditioning unit(s) 1012 out of enclosure 2001. The one or more vents2006 may include and/or consist of rigid or flexible ducts.Alternatively and/or additionally, enclosure 2001 may provide directexterior access to venting provided on the environmental conditioningunit(s) 1012 through one or more openings in the at least one top panel2004 and/or side wall panel 2002. In this way, waste air from theenvironmental conditioning unit(s) 1012 is expelled directly to theexterior of the data storage library and the enclosure 2001 and does notaffect the environmental conditions within enclosure 2001.

As enclosure 2001 may be maintained at the same (or substantially thesame) environmental conditions as the interior of library frame(s) 1002,an operator may access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 for insertor removal of media, maintenance, component replacement, etc., withoutan influx of air from within the surrounding room (e.g., the datacenter) from entering the library frame(s) 1002. For example, thedesired environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity)within the enclosure 2001 may be acclimated to be at, near, or withinthe desired range of the corresponding environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity) within library frame 1002, at which pointthe technician may open a movable panel to the library access openingthereby allowing access to the interior of the library. Since theenclosure serves as an environmental barrier to the environmentalconditions outside the enclosure (and the data storage library), andsince the conditions within the enclosure have been acclimated to thedesired environmental conditions, the interior of the data storagelibrary should not be exposed to environmental conditions from outsidethe enclosure 2001 (e.g. data room environmental conditions). In thisway, enclosure 2001 may resist, inhibit, and/or prevent undesirableenvironmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants, the formation and/oraccumulation of condensation on sensitive componentry, etc.) withinlibrary frame(s) 1002. Furthermore, enclosure 2001 may be temporarilyerected when operator access into a particular library frame or framesis needed, and may be dismantled when access is no longer needed. Assuch, a single enclosure 2001 may be utilized for access and service ofa group of separate libraries and/or library frame(s) 1002 at differenttimes. The enclosure and/or access door 2008 may comprise a means fordetermining if the door is closed. For example, the access opening 2009or access door 2008 may comprise a door switch or sensor that is coupledto a controller (such as library controller 400 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 4), an environmental conditioning unit, and/or an audioor visual indicator. The switch or sensor may be used to alert atechnician (or anyone that requires access to the interior of thelibrary) that access door 2008 is open, it may be used to control themovement of conditioned air from library frame(s) 1002 into the chamber2010, and/or it may be used to activate/deactivate an environmentalconditioning unit. While flat sides and rectangular shapes are describedand shown with respect to FIG. 6, enclosure 2001 may comprise othershapes and sides (e.g., circular, cylindrical, spherical, triangular,etc.).

Next, referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a service access systemis disclosed. Service access system 3000, like service access system2000 described above, comprises an enclosure 3001 at least partiallysurrounding a data storage library frame(s) 1002, such as that describedabove with respect to FIG. 5. While FIG. 7 only shows library frame 1002comprising a single library frame, it is to be understood that libraryframe 1002 may comprise a plurality of frames, such as that which isillustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B. Library frame(s) 1002 may compriseconventional data storage library componentry, similar to that which isfound in library 10 described above with respect to FIG. 2. Forinstance, one or more of library frames 1002 may comprise a plurality ofstorage slots to hold data storage cartridges associated with datastorage media, one or more data storage drives to read and/or write dataassociated with the media associated with the data storage cartridges,and one or more robotic accessors. Furthermore, while not shown in FIG.7, data storage library 1002 may be associated and/or equipped with oneor more environmental conditioning units, such as that which isdescribed above with respect to data storage library 10 in FIG. 1B anddata storage library 1004 in FIG. 5. The environmental conditioningunit(s) may control one or more environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity) within the library frame(s) 1002. In oneembodiment, it is contemplated that the data storage library will be atape library which may include tape cartridges, tape drives, andaccessors.

Service access system 3000 comprises an enclosure 3001 adapted andconfigured to substantially and/or entirely surround the data storagelibrary frame(s) 1002 and preferably permits access to the data storagelibrary in a manner that separates, insulates, and/or isolatesenvironmental conditions from exterior of the data storage library fromintruding the data storage library during insert or removal of media, aservice, upgrade, and/or a maintenance procedure. Enclosure 3001 maycomprise one or more side wall(s) or panels 3002. Enclosure 3001 mayalso include at least one top panel 3004 disposed over the top surfaceof data storage library 1002 (and any associated environmentalconditioning unit(s), such as environmental conditioning unit 1012 shownwithin enclosure 1020 in FIGS. 1B and 5). Enclosure 3001 maysubstantially and/or entirely surround library frame(s) 1002 so as toform a barrier around library frame(s) 1002 to provide an environmentseparate from the environment of the surrounding room (e.g., the datacenter). In one embodiment, the enclosure 3001 resists, inhibits, and/orprevents environmental conditions outside the enclosure from intrudingand/or infiltrating into the interior chamber formed by the enclosure3001.

Enclosure 3001 may be formed of any rigid structural material,preferably a material such as, for example, wood, plastic, carbon fiber,metal, etc. Additionally and/or alternatively, enclosure 3001 maycomprise multiple layers of multiple materials, either alike ordifferent, so as to provide varying degrees of insulating properties, ifneeded. One or more layers of material of enclosure 3001 may be aninsulation layer. Furthermore, at least a portion of enclosure 3001 maybe formed of a substantially water-resistant or waterproof material.Enclosure 3001 may be constructed around library frame(s) 1002 so as tobe either a portable, permanent, or semi-permanent structure. Thematerial preferably provides a barrier to environmental conditions, forexample, temperature, heat, and/or humidity. In one embodiment, theenclosure 3001 is capable of providing and/or maintaining relativelystable environmental conditions within enclosure 3001. In yet anotherembodiment, the enclosure may be substantially sealable.

At least one access door 3006 may be provided at an access opening 3009on at least one of side wall panel(s) 3002 so as to allow selectiveaccess by an operator into the interior chamber 3010 formed by enclosure3001. Access door 3006 may be a hinged door constructed of the same orsimilar materials as the side wall panel(s) 3002, such as, for example,wood, plastic carbon fiber, metal, etc. Alternatively, access door 3006may be made of a different, non-rigid material, such as nylon,polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid syntheticfiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other suitable flexible material. Accessdoor 3006 may comprise a hinged door (e.g., an office door, cabinetdoor, etc.), hinged flap (e.g., a non-zippered door to a camping tent),a zippered door (e.g., a zippered camping tent door), one or morevertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g., a door to a high traffic coldstorage room), a split membrane (e.g., a flexible slot or hole thatremains closed until forced open), an air curtain (e.g., a high trafficstore front that uses a wall of forced air to create an environmentalbarrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a sliding closet door, a pocket door,etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds, rolled security door, etc.),or any entryway barrier that will provide some degree of environmentalcontrol when not being accessed. Access door 3006 preferably permitsingress and egress from the chamber 3010 and may be selectively openableand closable. When opened, access door 3006 provides an access opening3009 preferably of sufficient size to permit a technician or operator(human adult) access to the interior chamber 3010 of the enclosure 3001.Door 3006 preferably provides a barrier between the environmentalconditions in the enclosure 3001 and the environmental conditionsoutside the enclosure 3001.

When access door 3006 is closed, enclosure 3001 may form a chamberhaving environmental conditions around library frame(s) 1002, eitherencompassing all of the library frame(s) 1002, or at least thoseportions of library frame(s) 1002 where a technician may gain access tothe interior of frame(s) 1002. The chamber 3010 formed by enclosure 3001may be brought to the same or similar environmental condition(s) as theinterior environmental conditions of library frame(s) 1002 in oneembodiment via communication with the conditioned air provided to theinterior of frame(s) 1002. For example, frame(s) 1002 may have one ormore vents 1090 capable of transferring conditioned air from withinframe(s) 1002 externally, thereby providing the conditioned air into theinterior of enclosure 3001 and/or circulating return air from theinterior of enclosure 3001. Alternatively, vent(s) 1090 may be coupleddirectly to the input (return air) and/or output (supply air) of theenvironmental conditioning unit without first going through the interiorof frame(s) 1002. Vent(s) 1090 may be selectively opened and closed,either manually (e.g., by a technician moving a vent closure, closingaccess door 3006, etc.) or automatically (e.g., using actuators ormotors under the control of a library controller or under the control ofan environmental conditioning unit), to communicate conditioned air intoenclosure 3001. Alternatively and/or additionally, one or more portalsor doors may be provided in library frame(s) 1002 to allow conditionedair from within the library frame(s) 1002 to reach the enclosure 3001.

Furthermore, library frame(s) 1002 may naturally leak a certain amountof conditioned air during operation that would effectively condition theair within enclosure 3001, even without dedicated vent(s), portal(s),door(s), etc. In addition, an environmental conditioning unit may beconfigured to create a positive air pressure within library frames(s)1002 and/or an environmental conditioning unit may be configured to pullexternal ambient air (return air) from outside library frames(s) 1002 orfrom inside enclosure 3001. Enclosure 3001 may also utilize one or moreenvironmental condition sensors 3005 (e.g., temperature and/or humiditysensors) so as to monitor the environmental conditions within theenclosure 3001. Measurements, readings, and/or signals from the one ormore environmental condition sensors 3005 may be provided to a librarycontroller (such as controller 400 shown and described with respect toFIG. 4), and/or may be provided to an environmental conditioning unit(such as environmental conditioning unit 1012 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 5), and/or may be provided to a display (not shown) suchthat the operator may visually determine the environmental conditionswithin the enclosure 3001. If readings are supplied to the controller,the controller may make a comparison between the sensors inside thelibrary and inside the enclosure and provide a visual, audible, or otheralert when access to the library may be made. Alternatively, enclosure3001 may comprise no environmental condition sensors, and an operator orservice technician may rely solely on the passage of time or operatorjudgement to determine when the desired environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity) in the enclosure 3001 are the same, similarto, and/or within a desired range as the corresponding environmentalcondition(s) within library frame(s) 1002, or otherwise sufficientlysafe to perform the desired procedure.

The enclosure 3001 in FIG. 7 is configured and adapted to substantiallyand/or entirely surround the data storage library, but preferablyprovides a chamber of sufficient size to permit the technician to enterthe interior 3010 of the enclosure 3001 through the access door 3006 andclose the access door 3006 while the technician or operator (humanadult) is inside the enclosure 3001. The chamber is preferably ofsufficient size that the technician can move and/or open the desiredaccess panels and/or doors of the data storage library while within theenclosure 3001, and preferably has sufficient room to provide insert orremoval of media, repair services, upgrades and/or maintenance on thelibrary.

While not shown in FIG. 7, library frame(s) 1002 may comprise or have atleast one associated and/or integrated environmental conditioning unit1012, such as those shown in FIGS. 1B and 5. It may be desirable toprovide active venting (venting that uses fans or forced air) or passiveventing (no air movement devices) to the at least one environmentalconditioning unit 1012, independent of the space inside enclosure 3001.For example, the at least one environmental conditioning unit 1012 maycomprise an air conditioner. Air conditioners generally comprises a heatexchanger, which emits waste heat therefrom. If enclosure 3001 were tofully enclose environmental conditioning unit 1012, the waste heatemitted by environmental conditioning unit 1012 may cause theenvironmental conditions within enclosure 3001 to become warmer and/ormore humid, regardless of any communication with the interiorenvironmental conditions of the library frame(s) 1002. In anotherexample, the at least one environmental conditioning unit 1012 maycomprise a heat pump which may produce cold waste air. Air conditioners,thermoelectric coolers, heat pumps, thermoelectric heaters are a fewexamples of environmental conditioning units that may produce waste airand, thus, benefit from venting. Accordingly, system 3000 may furthercomprise one or more vents (not shown) similar to vents 2006 shown anddescribed above with respect to FIG. 6. The one or more vents may becapable of venting waste air from the environmental conditioning unit(s)1012 out of enclosure 3001. The one or more vents may include, consistof, or be formed by rigid or flexible ducts, or enclosure 3001 mayprovide direct exterior access to venting provided on the environmentalconditioning unit(s) 1012 through one or more openings in the at leastone top panel 3004 and/or the side panel 3002. In this way, waste airfrom the environmental conditioning unit(s) 1012 preferably is expelledto the exterior of the data storage library and the enclosure 3001, andpreferably does not affect the environmental conditions within enclosure3001.

As enclosure 3001 may be maintained at the same (or substantially thesame) environmental conditions as the interior of library frame(s) 1002,an operator may access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 for insertor removal of media, maintenance, component replacement, upgrades, etc.,without an influx of air from within the surrounding room (e.g., thedata center) from entering the library frame(s) 1002. For example, thedesired environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity)within the enclosure 3001 may be acclimated to be at, near, or withinthe desired range of the corresponding environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity), at which point the technician may open amoveable panel (e.g., an access door and/or panel) to the interior ofthe library. Since the enclosure serves as an environmental barrier tothe environmental conditions outside the enclosure (and the data storagelibrary), and since the conditions within the enclosure have acclimatedto the desired environmental conditions, the interior of the datastorage library should not be exposed to environmental conditions fromoutside the enclosure 3001 (e.g. data room environmental conditions). Inthis way, enclosure 3001 may inhibit, resist, and/or prevent undesirableenvironmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants, the formation and/oraccumulation of condensation on sensitive componentry, etc.) withinlibrary frame(s) 1002. Furthermore, enclosure 3001 may be temporarilyerected when operator access into a particular library frame or framesis needed, and may be dismantled when access is no longer needed.Alternatively, enclosure 3001 may be temporarily moved into place whenoperator access into a particular library frame or frames is needed,and/or may be moved away when access is no longer needed. For movement,enclosure 3001 may comprise wheels, rollers, skids, casters, sliders,etc. or may be lifted, hoisted, carried, pulled, pushed, slid, etc. Assuch, a single enclosure 3001 may be utilized for access and service ofa group of separate libraries and/or library frame(s) 1002 at differenttimes. Access door 3006 may comprise a means for determining if the dooris closed. For example, the access opening 3009 or access door 3006 maycomprise a door switch or sensor that is coupled to a controller (suchas library controller 400 shown and described with respect to FIG. 4),an environmental conditioning unit, and/or an audio or visual indicator.The switch or sensor may be used to alert a technician (i.e., anyonethat requires access to the interior of the library) that access door3006 is open, it may be used to control the movement of conditioned airfrom library frame(s) 1002 into the chamber 3010, and/or it may be usedto activate/deactivate an environmental conditioning unit. While flatsides and rectangular shapes are described and shown with respect toFIG. 7, enclosure 3001 may comprise other shapes and sides (e.g.,circular, cylindrical, spherical, triangular, etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of a service access systemis disclosed. Service access system 4000, like service access systems2000 and 3000 described above, comprises an enclosure 4001 configured tobe located adjacent a data storage library frame(s) 1002, such as thatdescribed above with respect to FIG. 5. In one aspect, enclosure 4001 isconfigured to be adjacent to at least one library frame and to surroundat least one library access or service opening. While FIG. 8 only showslibrary frame 1002 comprising a single library frame, it is to beunderstood that library frame 1002 may comprise a plurality of frames,such as that which is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B. Library frame(s) 1002may comprise conventional data storage library componentry, similar tothat which is found in library 10 described above with respect to FIG.2. For instance, one or more of library frames 1002 may comprise aplurality of storage slots to hold data storage cartridges associatedwith data storage media, one or more data storage drives to write and/orread data associated with data storage media associated with datastorage cartridges, control and communication cards, one or more roboticaccessors, etc. Furthermore, while not shown in FIG. 8, data storagelibrary 1002 may be equipped with one or more environmental conditioningunits, such as that which is described above with respect to datastorage library 10 in FIG. 1B and data storage library 1004 in FIG. 5.The environmental conditioning unit(s) may control one or moreenvironmental conditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) within thelibrary frame(s) 1002. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that thedata storage library will be a tape library which may include tapecartridges, tape drives, and accessors.

Enclosure 4001 of service access system 4000 comprises one or more sidepanels 4002. Enclosure 4001 may also include a top panel (not shown).Additionally, a skirt 4003 may be included, with skirt 4003 capable ofproviding a barrier and/or seal between the bottom portion of libraryframe(s) 1002 and the floor or other surface upon which library frame(s)1002 stand. Furthermore, unlike service access systems 2000, 3000described above, enclosure 4001 is configured to enclose one side oflibrary frame(s) 1002 and/or one library access opening. For example,enclosure 4001 may only enclose a side (or partial side) adjacent afront panel 17 (i.e., movable panel) which covers an opening to thelibrary that provides access to the interior of library frame(s) 1002.Enclosure 4001 may also be configured to enclose only one side of thedata storage library. Alternatively, enclosure 4001 may be configured toenclose one or more sides and/or access panels to the data storagelibrary, but in one embodiment, preferably not all sides and/or the topof the data storage library. In this way, enclosure 4001 may provide anenvironmentally-controlled access area to library frame(s) 1002, butwithout the need for venting or additional enclosure materials presentin full-frame enclosures. In one embodiment, the enclosure 4001 has aworking opening 4008 which aligns with and corresponding with the atleast one access opening of the data storage library. The workingopening preferably communicates with the access opening of the librarywhen a movable panel (e.g., panel and/or door) of the library is openedand/or removed to permit the technician access to the interior of thedata storage library.

Enclosure 4001 preferably forms a chamber 4010. In one aspect, thechamber 4010 may be of sufficient size to contain an adult human. Thechamber 4010 may be of sufficient size to permit the adult human toremain within and be surrounded by the enclosure 4001 while performingservice on the library. The chamber 4010 of the enclosure 4001 may alsobe sized to permit the library panel or door to be moved (e.g., opened,closed, and/or removed) inside the enclosure to provide access into theinterior of the library.

Enclosure 4001 further includes an access opening 4004 on at least oneside thereof. Access opening 4004 is shown in FIG. 8 to be a zippereddoor, but may be any appropriate opening. Opening 4004 is preferablysubstantially sealable. In one embodiment, opening 4004 preferablycomprises a barrier, e.g., a door, that resists intrusion ofenvironmental conditions. The access opening 4004 preferably is ofsufficient size to permit access by a technician or operator (humanadult) to the interior chamber 4010 of the enclosure 4001. While theaccess opening 4004 is illustrated in FIG. 8 as being selectivelyopenable and closeable using a zipper, it should be appreciated thataccess opening 4004 may be provided with a hinged door (e.g., an officedoor, cabinet door, etc.), hinged flap (e.g., a non-zippered door to acamping tent), a zippered door (e.g., a zippered camping tent door), oneor more vertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g., a door to a hightraffic cold storage room), a split membrane (e.g., a flexible slot orhole that remains closed until forced open), an air curtain (e.g., ahigh traffic store front that uses a wall of forced air to create anenvironmental barrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a sliding closet door, apocket door, etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds, rolled securitydoor, etc.), or any other suitable closure mechanism or barrier thatresists environmental conditions outside the enclosure from intrudinginto the enclosure. Enclosure 4001 may be formed of a flexible material,such as nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, apara-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other flexiblematerial capable of providing a suitable enclosure for maintainingstable environmental conditions within the enclosure 4001. In oneembodiment, the enclosure 4001 resists, inhibits, and/or preventsenvironmental conditions outside the enclosure from intruding and/orinfiltrating into the interior chamber formed by the enclosure.Enclosure 4001 may be easily set up and installed (and/or uninstalled)to surround at least one access panel. For example, one or more sidepanels 4002 and the top panel may be self-supporting, or may be held bya collapsible and/or removable framework structure (not shown). Theframework structure may be formed of any appropriate material, such as,for example, a plurality of fiberglass, aluminum, carbon fiber, orpara-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g., KEVLAR®) poles, brackets, extensions,etc. The framework structure may be broken down so as to enable theenclosure 4001 to be portable and storable when not in use.Additionally, the framework structure may comprise a plurality ofspring-biased joints, enabling the structure to automatically erect whenopened. While shown partially surrounding the front panel 17 of libraryframe(s) 1002 in FIG. 8, it is to be understood that enclosure 4001 mayor may not be erected alone and may not require the presence of one ormore library frames 1002 in order to maintain shape and form.Alternatively, enclosure 4001 may be formed of a rigid structuralenclosure, similar to enclosure 3001 described above, or it may beformed of a combination of rigid and flexible materials. If a rigidstructural enclosure is used, access opening 4004 may be formed as ahinged door, similar to door 3006 described above with respect to FIG.7.

When access opening 4004 is closed and/or sealed, enclosure 4001 mayform a chamber having environmental conditions around and/or adjacent tothe front panel 17 of library frame(s) 1002 that may be substantiallyseparate from and different than the environmental conditions outsideenclosure 4001. In one embodiment the enclosure may be substantiallysealable. The chamber of the enclosure 4001 may be brought to the sameor similar environmental condition(s) as the interior environmentalconditions of library frame(s) 1002 via environmental communication withthe conditioned air provided to the interior of frame(s) 1002. Forexample, front panel 17 of frame(s) 1002 may have one or more vents 1092capable of transferring conditioned air from within frame(s) 1002externally of the data storage library and into the interior ofenclosure 4001. Alternatively, vent(s) 1092 may be coupled directly tothe input (return air) and/or output (supply air) of the environmentalconditioning unit without first going through the interior of frame(s)1002. If adjustable, vent(s) 1092 may be selectively opened and closed,either manually (e.g., by a technician moving a vent closure, closing anaccess door associated with access opening 4004, etc.) or automatically(e.g., using actuators or motors under the control of a librarycontroller or under the control of an environmental conditioning unit),to communicate conditioned air into enclosure 4001. Alternatively and/oradditionally, library frame(s) 1002 may naturally leak a certain amountof conditioned air during operation that would effectively condition theair within enclosure 4001, even without dedicated vent(s), portal(s),door(s), opening(s), etc. In addition, an environmental conditioningunit may be configured to create a positive air pressure within libraryframes(s) 1002 and/or an environmental conditioning unit may beconfigured to pull external ambient air (return air) from outsidelibrary frames(s) 1002 or from inside enclosure 4001. Enclosure 4001 mayalso utilize one or more environmental condition sensors 4005 (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity sensors) so as to monitor the environmentalconditions within the enclosure 4001.

The enclosure in one embodiment is configured and constructed to resistenvironmental conditions from the exterior of the library from intrudinginto the chamber of enclosure 4001, while permitting environmentalconditions from the interior of the library to intrude into the chamberof the enclosure 4001. Herein, environmental conditions andenvironmentally conditioned air from the interior of the library mayrefer to air that has been conditioned either after it has been directedto the interior of the library, before being directed into the library,and/or without being directed into the library. Working opening 4008 mayfacilitate the environmental conditions within the interior of the datastorage library from entering, intruding, mixing with, and/orinfiltrating the chamber 4010 of the enclosure 4001. In one aspect,working opening 4008 is generally a hole or aperture in at least oneside wall of the enclosure 4001 that is sized and constructed to permitaccess by a technician into the interior of the data storage library,and may not have an associated barrier to close working opening 4008.Alternatively, working opening 4008 may have an associated barrier, suchas, for example, a hinged door (e.g., an office door, cabinet door,etc.), hinged flap (e.g., a non-zippered door to a camping tent), azippered door (e.g., a zippered camping tent door), one or morevertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g., a door to a high traffic coldstorage room), a split membrane (e.g., a flexible slot or hole thatremains closed until forced open), an air curtain (e.g., a high trafficstore front that uses a wall of forced air to create an environmentalbarrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a sliding closet door, a pocket door,etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds, rolled security door, etc.),to close the working opening 4008. Measurements, readings, and/orsignals from the one or more environmental condition sensors 4005 may beprovided to a library controller (such as controller 400 shown anddescribed with respect to FIG. 4), and/or may be provided to anenvironmental conditioning unit (such as environmental conditioning unit1012 shown and described with respect to FIG. 5), and/or may be providedto a display (not shown) such that the operator may determine theenvironmental conditions within the enclosure 4001. If readings aretaken and supplied to the controller, in one aspect the controller maymake a comparison between the sensors inside the library, outside thelibrary, and/or inside the enclosure and provide a visual, audible,and/or other alert or notification when access to the library may bemade. Alternatively, enclosure 4001 may comprise no environmentalcondition sensors, and an operator or technician may rely solely on thepassage of time or operator judgement in order to determine when thedesired environmental conditions are the same, similar, and/or within adesired range as the corresponding environmental condition(s) within thelibrary frame(s) 1002, or otherwise sufficiently safe to access theinterior of the library. In one example, enclosure 4001 may or may notbe erected and the technician may wait a set period of time, e.g.,twenty-four (24) hours before accessing the interior of the enclosure4001.

Due to enclosure 4001 not encompassing the entire library frame(s) 1002,and preferably not enclosing the environmental conditioning unit, wasteair emitted by an environmental conditioning unit associated withlibrary frame(s) 1002 will not affect the interior environmentalconditions of enclosure 4001, and thus may not require venting fromenclosure 4001. Furthermore, while not shown in FIG. 8, it is to beunderstood that one enclosure 4001 or multiple enclosures 4001 may bedisposed about multiple access points on the library frame(s) 1002,thereby enabling environmentally-controlled access at multiplelocations.

As enclosure 4001 may be maintained at the same (or substantially thesame) environmental conditions as the interior of library frame(s) 1002,an operator may access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 for insertor removal of media, maintenance, service, component replacement,upgrades, etc., without an influx of air from within the surroundingroom (e.g., the data center) from entering the library frame(s) 1002.For example, the desired environmental conditions (e.g., temperatureand/or humidity) within the enclosure may be acclimated to be at, near,and/or within a desired range of the corresponding environmentalconditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) at which point thetechnician may access the interior of the enclosure. Since the enclosureserves as an environmental barrier to the environmental conditionsoutside the enclosure (e.g., data room environmental conditions) andsince the conditions within the enclosure have acclimated to the desiredenvironmental conditions of the interior of library frame(s) 1002 (whichare most likely different than the environmental conditions outside theenclosure), the interior of the library should not be exposed toenvironmental conditions from outside the enclosure (e.g., data roomenvironmental conditions). In this way, enclosure 4001 may resist,inhibit, and/or prevent undesirable environmental conditions (e.g., aircontaminants, the formation and/or accumulation of condensation onsensitive componentry, etc.) within library frame(s) 1002. Furthermore,enclosure 4001 may be temporarily erected when operator access into aparticular library frame or frames is needed, and may be dismantled whenaccess is no longer needed. Alternatively, enclosure 4001 may betemporarily moved into place when operator access into a particularlibrary frame or frames is needed, and/or may be moved away when accessis no longer needed. For movement, enclosure 4001 may comprise wheels,rollers, skids, casters, sliders, etc. or may be lifted, hoisted,carried, pulled, pushed, slid, etc. As such, a single enclosure 4001 maybe utilized for access and service of a group of separate librariesand/or library frame(s) 1002 at different times. Access opening 4004 orits associated access door may comprise a means for determining if theopening is closed. For example, the access opening or access door maycomprise a switch or sensor that is coupled to a controller (such aslibrary controller 400 shown and described with respect to FIG. 4, adedicated enclosure controller, etc.), an environmental conditioningunit, and/or an audio or visual indicator. The switch or sensor may beused to alert a technician (anyone that requires access to the interiorof the library) that access opening 4004 is open, it may be used tocontrol the movement of conditioned air from library frame(s) 1002 intothe chamber 4010, and/or it may be used to activate/deactivate anenvironmental conditioning unit. While flat sides and rectangular shapesare described and shown with respect to FIG. 8, enclosure 4001 maycomprise other shapes and sides (e.g., circular, cylindrical, spherical,triangular, etc.).

Next, referring to FIG. 9, a service access system 5000 in accordancewith another aspect of the disclosure is illustrated. Service accesssystem 5000 comprises an enclosure 5001 substantially surrounding thedata storage library frame(s) 1002. Enclosure 5001 may comprise one ormore side wall(s) or panels 5002. Enclosure 5001 further may include oneor more top panels 5004 disposed over the top surface of data storagelibrary frame(s) 1002. Additional top side panels 5005 enclose topportions of enclosure 5001, but extend only to respective environmentalconditioning unit enclosures 1020 disposed on top of library frame(s)1002. In this way, waste air generated by the environmental conditioningunits (not shown) within environmental conditioning unit enclosures 1020is not captured within enclosure 5001, but is instead vented to theoutside environment (e.g., into the data center or out of the datacenter building). Enclosure 5001 may have a tent-like structure, withthe capability of being easily and quickly installed (and/oruninstalled) to substantially surround a data storage library frame(s)1002. The side wall panels 5002, top panel(s) 5004, and top side panels5005 may be self-supporting, or may be held by a collapsible and/orremovable framework structure (not shown).

Enclosure 5001 may be formed of any suitable material, such as nylon,polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid syntheticfiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other flexible material. The materialpreferably provides a barrier to environmental conditions. In oneembodiment, the material of the enclosure resists, inhibits, and/orprevents environmental conditions outside the enclosure from intrudingand/or infiltrating into the chamber of the enclosure. In anotherembodiment, the enclosure is capable of providing and/or maintainingstable environmental conditions within the enclosure 5001. In yetanother embodiment, the enclosure may be substantially sealable.Additionally and/or alternatively, enclosure 5001 may comprise multiplelayers of multiple materials, either alike or different, so as toprovide varying degrees of insulating properties, if needed. One or morelayers of material of enclosure 5001 may be an insulation layer.Furthermore, at least a portion of enclosure 5001 may be formed of asubstantially water-resistant or waterproof material.

At least one access door 5006 may be provided on at least one of sidewall panel(s) 5002 so as to allow selective access by an operator intothe interior of the chamber 5010 formed by enclosure 5001. Access door5006 may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials,be they the same or different materials than enclosure 5001, such as,for example, nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, apara-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other flexiblematerial. In one embodiment, the access door may be selectively openableand closable. When open, access door 5006 provides an access opening5009, preferably of sufficient size and shape to permit a technician(human adult) access to the interior of chamber 5010 of enclosure 5001.Furthermore, access door 5006 may be configured as a hinged door (e.g.,an office door, cabinet door, etc.), hinged flap (e.g., a non-zippereddoor to a camping tent), a zippered door (e.g., a zippered camping tentdoor), one or more vertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g., a door to ahigh traffic cold storage room), a split membrane (e.g., a flexible slotor hole that remains closed until forced open), an air curtain (e.g., ahigh traffic store front that uses a wall of forced air to create anenvironmental barrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a sliding closet door, apocket door, etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds, rolled securitydoor, etc.), or any other appropriate closure capable of allowingselective access, yet providing a barrier between environmentalconditions inside and outside enclosure 5001. In one embodiment, door5006 may maintain a sealed environment within enclosure 5001.

When access door 5006 is closed, enclosure 5001 may form a barrier tothe environmental conditions outside the enclosure. Enclosure 5001 inone embodiment may provide a barrier around the library. Theenvironmental conditions within chamber 5010 may be acclimated to bedifferent than the environmental conditions outside the enclosure. Andin yet another aspect, the enclosure may form a substantially sealedenvironment around library frame(s) 1002, either encompassing all of thelibrary frame(s) 1002, or at least those portions of library frame(s)1002 where an operator may gain access to the interior of frame(s) 1002.The chamber 5010 of enclosure 5001 may be brought to the same or similarenvironmental condition(s) as the interior environmental conditions oflibrary frame(s) 1002 in one embodiment via communication with theconditioned air provided to the interior of frame(s) 1002. For example,one or more vents, portals, or doors (similar to vent(s) 1090 describedabove with respect to FIG. 6) may be provided in one or more locationson library frame(s) 1002 so as to communicate conditioned air fromwithin the interior of frame(s) 1002 into the enclosure 5001.Alternatively, the one or more vents may be coupled directly to theinput (return air) and/or output (supply air) of the environmentalconditioning unit without first going through the interior of frame(s)1002. Enclosure 5001 may also utilize one or more environmentalcondition sensors 5007 (e.g., temperature and/or humidity sensors) so asto monitor the environmental conditions within the enclosure 5001.

Measurements, readings, and/or signals from the one or moreenvironmental condition sensors 5007 may be provided to a librarycontroller (such as controller 400 shown and described with respect toFIG. 4), and/or may be provided to an environmental conditioning unit(not shown), and/or may be provided to a display (not shown) such thatthe operator may determine the environmental conditions within theenclosure 5001. If readings from the sensors are provided to thecontroller, the controller may make a comparison between the sensorsinside the data storage library, outside the enclosure, and/or insidethe enclosure, more likely comparing sensor readings between the insideof the library and inside the enclosure, and provide a visual, audible,and/or other alert and/or notification when access to the library may bemade. Alternatively, enclosure 5001 may comprise no environmentalcondition sensors, and an operator or technician may rely solely on thepassage of time or operator judgement as to when the desiredenvironmental conditions are the same, similar, and/or within a desiredrange as the corresponding environmental condition(s) within the libraryframe(s) 1002.

The enclosure 5001 in FIG. 9 is configured and adapted to substantiallyand/or entirely surround the data storage library, but preferablyprovides a chamber of sufficient size to permit a technician to enterthe interior 5010 of the enclosure 5001 through the access door 5006 andclose the access door 5006 while the technician (human adult) is insidethe enclosure 5001. The chamber is preferably of sufficient size thatthe technician can move and/or open the desired access panels and/ordoors of the data storage library while within the enclosure 5001, andpreferably has sufficient room to insert or remove media, provide repairservices, upgrades and/or maintenance on the library.

As enclosure 5001 may be maintained at the same (or substantially thesame) environmental conditions as the interior of library frame(s) 1002,an operator may access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 for insertor removal of media, maintenance, component replacement, upgrades, etc.,without an influx of air from within the surrounding room (e.g., thedata center) from entering the library frame(s) 1002. For example, thedesired environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity)within the enclosure 5001 may be acclimated to be at, near, or withinthe desired range of the corresponding environmental conditions (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity), at which point the technician may open anaccess door and/or panel to the interior of the library. Since theenclosure serves as an environmental barrier to the environmentalconditions outside the enclosure (and the data storage library), andsince the conditions within the enclosure have acclimated to the desiredenvironmental conditions, the interior of the data storage libraryshould not be exposed or will be only minimally exposed to environmentalconditions from outside the enclosure 5001 (e.g. data room environmentalconditions). In this way, enclosure 5001 may resist, inhibit, and/orprevent undesirable environmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants,the formation and/or accumulation of condensation on sensitivecomponentry, etc.) within library frame(s) 1002. Furthermore, enclosure5001 may be temporarily erected when operator access into a particularlibrary frame or frames is needed, and may be dismantled when access isno longer needed. Alternatively, enclosure 5001 may be temporarily movedinto place when operator access into a particular library frame orframes is needed, and/or may be moved away when access is no longerneeded. For movement, enclosure 5001 may comprise wheels, rollers,skids, casters, sliders, etc. or may be lifted, hoisted, carried,pulled, pushed, slid, etc. As such, a single enclosure 5001 may beutilized for access and service of a group of separate libraries and/orlibrary frame(s) 1002 at different times. Access opening 5009 or accessdoor 5006 may comprise a means for determining if the opening is closed.For example, the access door or access opening may comprise a doorswitch or sensor that is coupled to a controller (such as librarycontroller 400 shown and described with respect to FIG. 4, a dedicatedenclosure controller, etc.), an environmental conditioning unit, and/oran audio or visual indicator. The switch or sensor may be used to alerta technician (anyone that requires access to the interior of thelibrary) that access door 5006 is open, it may be used to control themovement of conditioned air from library frame(s) 1002 into the chamber5010, and/or it may be used to activate/deactivate an environmentalconditioning unit. While flat sides and rectangular shapes are describedand shown with respect to FIG. 9, enclosure 5001 may comprise othershapes and sides (e.g., circular, cylindrical, spherical, triangular,etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 10, a service access system 6000 in accordancewith another aspect of the disclosure is illustrated. Service accesssystem 6000 comprises an enclosure 6001 adapted and configured tosubstantially and/or entirely surround the data storage library frame(s)1002. Enclosure 6001 may comprise one or more side wall(s) or panels6002. Enclosure 6001 may include at least one top panel (not shown)associated with and/or disposed over the top surface of data storagelibrary frame(s) 1002. Respective environmental conditioning unitenclosures 1020 disposed on top of library frame(s) 1002 are notenclosed by enclosure 6001. In this way, waste air generated by theenvironmental conditioning units (not shown) within environmentalconditioning unit enclosures 1020 is not captured within enclosure 6001,but is instead vented to the outside environment (e.g., into the datacenter). Accordingly, enclosure 6001 may substantially surround libraryframe(s) 1002 so as to form a barrier around library frame(s) 1002, andin one aspect an environment relatively separate from the environment ofthe surrounding room (e.g., the data center). In one embodiment, theenclosure resists, inhibits, and/or prevents environmental conditionsoutside the enclosure from intruding and/or infiltrating into theinterior chamber formed by the enclosure.

Enclosure 6001 may be formed of any rigid structural material such as,for example, wood, plastic, carbon fiber, metal, etc. Additionally,and/or alternatively, enclosure 6001 may comprise multiple layers ofmultiple materials, either alike or different, so as to provide varyingdegrees of insulating properties, if needed. Furthermore, at least aportion of enclosure 6001 may be formed of a substantiallywater-resistant or waterproof material. Enclosure 6001 may beconstructed around library frame(s) 1002 so as to be either a portable,permanent, or semi-permanent structure. The material preferably providesa barrier to environmental conditions, for example, temperature, heat,and/or humidity. In one embodiment, the enclosure 6001 is capable ofproviding and/or maintaining relatively stable environmental conditionswithin enclosure 6001. In yet another embodiment, the enclosure 6001 maybe substantially sealable.

At least one access door 6004 may be provided on at least one of sidewall panel(s) 6002 so as to allow selective access by an operator intothe interior chamber 6010 formed by enclosure 6001. Access door 6004 maybe a hinged door constructed of the same or similar materials as theside wall panel(s) 6002, such as, for example, wood, plastic carbonfiber, metal, etc. Alternatively, access door 6004 may be made of adifferent, non-rigid material, such as nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton,silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), orany other suitable flexible material. Door 6004 may comprise a hingeddoor (e.g., an office door, cabinet door, etc.), hinged flap (e.g., anon-zippered door to a camping tent), a zippered door (e.g., a zipperedcamping tent door), one or more vertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g.,a door to a high traffic cold storage room), a split membrane (e.g., aflexible slot or hole that remains closed until forced open), an aircurtain (e.g., a high traffic store front that uses a wall of forced airto create an environmental barrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a slidingcloset door, a pocket door, etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds,rolled security door, etc.), or any entryway barrier that will providesome degree of environmental control when not being accessed. Door 6004preferably permits ingress and egress from the chamber 6010 and may beselectively openable and closable. When opened, access door 6004provides an access opening 6009 preferably of sufficient size to permita technician (human adult) access to the interior chamber 6010 ofenclosure 6001. Access door 6004 preferably provides a barrier betweenthe environmental conditions in the enclosure and the environmentalconditions outside the enclosure.

When access door 6004 is closed, enclosure 6001 may form a chamberhaving environmental conditions around library frame(s) 1002, eitherencompassing all of the library frame(s) 1002, or at least thoseportions of library frame(s) 1002 where a technician may gain access tothe interior of frame(s) 1002. The chamber 6010 formed by enclosure 6001may be brought to the same or similar environmental condition(s) as theinterior environmental conditions of library frame(s) 1002 via, in oneembodiment, communication with the conditioned air provided to theinterior of frame(s) 1002. For example, library frame(s) 1002 may haveone or more vents or portals capable of transferring conditioned airfrom within library frame(s) 1002 externally, thereby providing theconditioned air into the interior of enclosure 6001 and/or circulatingreturn air from the interior of enclosure 6001. Alternatively, the oneor more vent may be coupled directly to the input (return air) and/oroutput (supply air) of the environmental conditioning unit without firstgoing through the interior of frame(s) 1002. If adjustable, the vents orportals may be selectively opened and closed, either manually (e.g., bya technician moving a vent closure, closing access door 6004, etc.) orautomatically (e.g., using actuators or motors under the control of alibrary controller or under the control of an environmental conditioningunit), to communicate conditioned air into enclosure 6001.

Furthermore, library frame(s) 1002 may naturally leak a certain amountof conditioned air during operation that would effectively condition theair within enclosure 6001, even without dedicated vent(s), portal(s),door(s), etc. In addition, an environmental conditioning unit may beconfigured to create a positive air pressure within library frames(s)1002 and/or an environmental conditioning unit may be configured to pullexternal ambient air (return air) from outside library frames(s) 1002 orfrom inside enclosure 6001. Enclosure 6001 may also utilize one or moreenvironmental condition sensors 6005 (e.g., temperature and/or humiditysensors) so as to monitor the environmental conditions within theenclosure 6001. Measurements, readings, and/or signals from the one ormore environmental condition sensors 6005 may be provided to a librarycontroller (such as controller 400 shown and described with respect toFIG. 4), and/or may be provided to an environmental conditioning unit(not shown), and/or may be provided to a display (not shown) such thatthe operator may determine the environmental conditions within theenclosure 6001. If readings are supplied to the controller, thecontroller may make a comparison between the sensors inside the libraryand inside the enclosure and provide a visual, audible, or other alertwhen access to the library may be made. Alternatively, enclosure 6001may comprise no environmental condition sensors, and the operator ortechnician may rely solely on the passage of time or operator judgementas to when the desired environmental conditions (e.g., temperatureand/or humidity) in the enclosure are the same, similar to, sufficientlysafe, and/or within a desired range as the corresponding environmentalcondition(s) within the library frame(s) 1002. In one embodiment, thetechnician may wait twenty-four (24) hours but other lengths of time,e.g., 1, 10, 32, 36, etc., hours, are contemplated.

As enclosure 6001 may be maintained at the same (or substantially thesame) environmental conditions as the interior of library frame(s) 1002,an operator may access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 for insertor removal of media, maintenance, service, upgrades, componentreplacement, etc., without an influx of air from within the surroundingroom (e.g., the data center) from entering the library frame(s) 1002.For example, the desired environmental conditions (e.g., temperatureand/or humidity) within the enclosure may be acclimated to be at, near,or within the desired range of the corresponding environmentalconditions (e.g., temperature and/or humidity), at which point thetechnician may open an access door and/or panel to the interior of thelibrary. Since the enclosure serves as an environmental barrier to theenvironmental conditions outside the enclosure (and the data library)and since the conditions within the enclosure have acclimated to thedesired environmental conditions, the interior of the library should notbe exposed or will be only minimally exposed to environmental conditionsfrom outside the enclosure (e.g., data room environmental conditions).In this way, enclosure 6001 may resist, inhibit, and/or preventundesirable environmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants, theformation and/or accumulation of condensation on sensitive componentry,etc.) within library frame(s) 1002. Furthermore, enclosure 6001 may betemporarily erected when operator access into a particular library frameor frames is needed, and may be dismantled when access is no longerneeded. Alternatively, enclosure 6001 may be temporarily moved intoplace when operator access into a particular library frame or frames isneeded, and/or may be moved away when access is no longer needed. Formovement, enclosure 6001 may comprise wheels, rollers, skids, casters,sliders, etc. or may be lifted, hoisted, carried, pulled, pushed, slid,etc. As such, a single enclosure 6001 may be utilized for access andservice of a group of separate libraries and/or library frame(s) 1002 atdifferent times. Access door 6004 or access opening 6009 may comprise ameans for determining if the opening is opened or closed. For example,the access door or access opening may comprise a door switch or sensorthat is coupled to a controller (such as library controller 400 shownand described with respect to FIG. 4), an environmental conditioningunit, and/or an audio or visual indicator. The switch or sensor may beused to alert a technician (anyone that requires access to the interiorof the library) that access door 6004 is open, it may be used to controlthe movement of conditioned air from library frame(s) 1002 into thechamber 6010, and/or it may be used to activate/deactivate anenvironmental conditioning unit. While flat sides and rectangular shapesare described and shown with respect to FIG. 10, enclosure 6001 maycomprise other shapes and sides (e.g., circular, cylindrical, spherical,triangular, etc.).

Next, referring to FIG. 11, a service access system 7000 in accordancewith another aspect is disclosed. Service access system comprises anenclosure 7001 having one or more side(s) or panels 7002. Enclosure 7001preferably also includes a top panel (not shown). Additionally, a skirt7003 may be included, with skirt 7003 capable of providing a barrierand/or seal between the bottom portion of library frame(s) 1002 and thefloor or other surface upon which library frame(s) 1002 stands.Furthermore, enclosure 7001 may be configured to only enclose one sideof library frame(s) 1002 and/or one library access opening. For example,enclosure 7001 may only enclose a side adjacent a front panel 17 whichcovers an opening to the library that provides access to the interior oflibrary frame(s) 1002. Enclosure 7001 may also be configured to encloseone side of the data storage library. Alternatively, enclosure 7001 maybe configured to enclose one or more sides and/or access panels of thedata storage library, but in one embodiment, preferably not all sidesand/or not the top of the data storage library. In this way, enclosure7001 may provide an environmentally-controlled access area to libraryframe(s) 1002, but without the need for venting the interior of libraryframe(s) 1002, venting from the environmental conditioning unit and/oradditional panels present in full-frame enclosures.

In one embodiment, enclosure 7001 has a working opening 7008 whichaligns with and corresponds with the at least one access opening of thelibrary that is surrounded by the enclosure. The working opening 7008preferably communicates with an access opening of the library when thepanel and/or door of the library is opened and/or removed to permit thetechnician access to the interior of the data storage library. Enclosure7001 may have one or more working openings which may correspond to oneor more access openings in the data storage library frame(s) 1002. Theworking openings may be sized, shaped, and configured to be larger than,smaller than, or the same size as the library access openings. One ormore optional barriers (e.g., doors) may be associated with the one ormore working openings.

Enclosure 7001 further includes an access opening 7004 on at least oneside thereof. Access opening 7004 is shown in FIG. 11 to be a zippereddoor, but may be any appropriate opening. Opening 7004 is preferablysubstantially sealable. In one embodiment, opening 7004 preferablycomprises a barrier, e.g., a door, that resists intrusion ofenvironmental conditions. The access opening 7004 preferably is ofsufficient size to permit access by a technician (human adult) to theinterior chamber 7010 of the enclosure 7001. While the access opening7004 is illustrated in FIG. 11 as being selectively openable andcloseable using a zipper, it should be appreciated that access opening7004 may be provided with a hinged door (e.g., an office door, cabinetdoor, etc.), hinged flap (e.g., a non-zippered door to a camping tent),a zippered door (e.g., a zippered camping tent door), one or morevertically-hanging slats or flaps (e.g., a door to a high traffic coldstorage room), a split membrane (e.g., a flexible slot or hole thatremains closed until forced open), an air curtain (e.g., a high trafficstore front that uses a wall of forced air to create an environmentalbarrier), a sliding panel (e.g., a sliding closet door, a pocket door,etc.), a rolled door (e.g., rolling blinds, rolled security door, etc.),or any other suitable closure mechanism or barrier that resistsenvironmental conditions outside the enclosure from intruding into theenclosure.

Enclosure 7001 may be formed of a flexible material, such as nylon,polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, a para-aramid syntheticfiber (e.g., KEVLAR®), or any other flexible material capable ofproviding a suitable enclosure for maintaining stable environmentalconditions within the enclosure 7001. In one embodiment, the enclosure7001 resists, inhibits, and/or prevents environmental conditions outsidethe enclosure from intruding and/or infiltrating into the interiorchamber formed by the enclosure. Enclosure 7001 may be easily set up andinstalled (and/or uninstalled) to surround at least one library accesspanel. For example, one or more side panels 7002 and the top panel maybe self-supporting, or may be held by a collapsible and/or removableframework structure (not shown). The framework structure may be formedof any appropriate material, such as, for example, a plurality offiberglass, aluminum, carbon fiber or para-aramid synthetic fiber (e.g.,KEVLAR®) poles, brackets, extensions, etc. The framework structure maybe broken down so as to enable the enclosure 7001 to be portable andstorable when not in use. Additionally, the framework structure maycomprise a plurality of spring-biased joints, enabling the structure toautomatically erect when opened. While shown partially surrounding thefront panel 17 of library frame(s) 1002 in FIG. 11, it is to beunderstood that enclosure 7001 may or may not be erected alone and maynot require the presence of one or more library frames 1002 in order tomaintain shape and form. Alternatively, enclosure 7001 may be formed ofa rigid structural enclosure, similar to enclosure 3001 described above,or it may be formed of a combination of rigid and flexible materials. Ifa rigid structural enclosure is used, access opening 7004 may be formedas a hinged door, similar to door 3006 described above with respect toFIG. 7.

When access opening 7004 is closed and/or sealed, enclosure 7001 mayform a chamber having environmental conditions around and/or adjacent tothe front panel 17 of library frame(s) 1002 that may be substantiallyseparate from and different than the environmental conditions outsideenclosure 7001. In one embodiment the enclosure may be substantiallysealable. However, unlike enclosure 4001 described above with respect toFIG. 8, which may be brought to the same or similar environmentalcondition(s) as the interior of the library frame(s) 1002 via theenvironmental conditioning unit(s) associated with the library frame(s)1002, enclosure 7001 may communicate with at least one separateenvironmental conditioning unit 7014. That is, at least one enclosureenvironmental conditioning unit(s) 7014 may be fluidly coupled toenclosure 7001 (e.g., via a duct 7012, attached to the top or side ofenclosure 7001, etc.) such that the environmental conditions withinenclosure 7001 may be controlled independently of the environmentalconditions within library frame(s) 1002. As such, the enclosure 7001 maybe brought to the same or similar environmental condition(s) as theinterior environmental conditions of library frame(s) 1002 without theneed for one or more vent(s), portal(s), etc. formed in the libraryframe(s) 1002. Such a configuration not only avoids the need forvent(s), portal(s), etc., but also lessens the burden on theenvironmental conditioning unit associated with the library frame(s)1002, which may not have been originally sized and designed to handlethe increased volume caused by the addition of enclosure 7001. Ofcourse, enclosure 7001 may still utilize optional vent(s), portal(s),etc., formed in the library, which would communicate with the interiorof the enclosure 7001 and/or the environmental conditioning unitassociated with library frame(s) 1002. Enclosure 7001 may also utilizeone or more environmental condition sensors 7005 (e.g., temperatureand/or humidity sensors) so as to monitor the environmental conditionswithin the enclosure 7001.

The enclosure, in one embodiment, is configured and constructed toresist environmental conditions from the exterior of the library fromintruding into the chamber of enclosure 7001, while permittingenvironmental conditioning unit(s) 7014 to change the environmentalconditions therein. Measurements, readings, and/or signals from the oneor more environmental condition sensors 7005 may be provided to alibrary controller (such as controller 400 shown and described withrespect to FIG. 4), and/or may be provided to environmental conditioningunit 7014, and/or may be provided to an environmental conditioning unitassociated with library frame(s) 1002 (such as environmentalconditioning unit 1012 shown and described with respect to FIG. 5),and/or may be provided to a display (not shown) such that the operatormay determine the environmental conditions within the enclosure 7001. Ifreadings are taken and supplied to the controller, in one aspect, thecontroller may make a comparison between the sensors inside the library,outside the library, and/or inside the enclosure and provide a visual,audible, and/or other alert or notification when access to the librarymay be made. Alternatively, enclosure 7001 may comprise no environmentalcondition sensors, and the operator or technician may rely solely on thepassage of time or operator judgement as to when the environmentalconditions are the same, similar to, sufficiently safe, and/or within adesired range as the corresponding environmental condition(s) within thelibrary frame(s) 1002.

In one aspect, when cartridges need to be inserted or removed, orservice is needed within library frame(s) 1002, enclosure 7001 may beinstalled and/or moved into place adjacent front panel 17 (or anotheraccess opening) of library frame(s) 1002. Environmental conditioningunit 7014 may then be fluidly coupled to the enclosure 7001 and operatedso as to bring the environmental condition(s) within the enclosure 7001to be at, near, and/or within a desired range of the correspondingenvironmental conditions within the library frame(s) 1002, allowing anoperator to access the interior of library frame(s) 1002 while resistingan influx of external air into the frame(s) 1002. When the serviceprocedure is complete, enclosure 7001 may be deconstructed and/or movedaway from the library frame(s) 1002, along with enclosure environmentalconditioning unit 7014. Alternatively, enclosure 7001 may be temporarilymoved into place when operator access into a particular library frame orframes is needed, and/or may be moved away when access is no longerneeded. For movement, enclosure 7001 may comprise wheels, rollers,skids, casters, sliders, etc. or may be lifted, hoisted, carried,pulled, pushed, slid, etc. In this way, a single enclosure 7001 andenclosure environmental conditioning unit 7014 may be portable and usedonly in an on-demand manner based on service needs.

In another aspect, enclosure 7001 may be normally installed adjacentframe(s) 1002 (i.e., permanently or semi-permanently), but enclosureenvironmental conditioning unit 7014 may be portable and movable betweenvarious enclosures. Thus, when service is needed within library frame(s)1002, enclosure environmental conditioning unit 7014 may be coupled toan enclosure 7001 so as to bring the environmental condition(s) withinthe enclosure 7001 to be at or near those within the library frame(s)1002. When the service procedure is complete, enclosure environmentalconditioning unit 7014 may be decoupled from the enclosure 7001 suchthat it may be used at other locations in an on-demand manner based onservice needs. It should be appreciated that enclosure environmentalconditioning unit 7014 may be associated with and/or coupled toenclosures 2001, 3001, 4001, 5001, and/or 6001 in a manner similar tothat described for enclosure 7001 and illustrated in FIG. 11.

Next, processes for accessing a data storage library in a manner thatinhibits, restricts and/or prevents environmental conditions exterior ofthe library from intruding into the interior of the library isdisclosed, which may be useful for example when importing or exportingcartridges or providing service on the data storage library. In oneembodiment, an enclosure is provided to surround at least one accessopening of a data storage library and provide a barrier for the libraryto inhibit, restrict, and/or prevent environmental conditions exteriorof the library from intruding into the interior of the library. Theenclosure preferably forms a chamber. The chamber is preferably ofsufficient size to fit a technician therein. The interior of theenclosure is acclimated so that the environmental conditions within thechamber are at least closer to the environmental conditions of theinterior of the library than the environmental conditions exterior oroutside the enclosure. The enclosure may be acclimated in a number ofways, some of which were described above in connection with FIGS. 6-11.From within the enclosure, and preferably after the chamber of theenclosure has been sufficiently acclimated, a technician may access theinterior of the data storage library.

As part of the process, the technician may access the interior of theenclosure through an access opening in the enclosure. The enclosure mayhave a barrier, for example, a door, associated with the enclosureaccess opening to selectively open and close or otherwise block theaccess opening. When access can be made to the interior of the librarymay be determined by a number of methods, including, but not limited to,waiting an amount of time for the enclosure to acclimate, waiting apredetermined, set amount of time for the chamber of the enclosure toacclimate, and/or relying on various sensors to make measurements andcomparing sensor readings. In one aspect, determining when access can bemade to the interior of the library may be based upon technicianjudgement, or alternatively by sensors, instruments, calculations, andcomparisons relying on microprocessors and other automated functions. Inthe data storage library, how close and/or the desired range orthreshold is a design parameter that may vary based upon a number offactors, including the design and specifications of the data storagelibrary, the environmental conditions exterior to the data storagelibrary, the design and construction of the enclosure, whetherenvironmental conditioning units are utilized, as well as other factors.Access opening 7004 or it associated access door may comprise a meansfor determining if the opening is closed (or sealed). For example, theaccess opening or access door may comprise a switch or sensor that iscoupled to a controller (such as library controller 400 shown anddescribed with respect to FIG. 4), a library environmental conditioningunit, enclosure environmental conditioning unit 7014, and/or an audio orvisual indicator. The switch or sensor may be used to alert a technician(anyone that requires access to the interior of the library) that accessopening 7004 is open, it may be used to control the movement ofconditioned air from library frame(s) 1002 into the chamber 2010, it maybe used to activate/deactivate a library environmental conditioning unitand/or it may be used to activate/deactivate enclosure environmentalconditioning unit 7014. While flat sides and rectangular shapes aredescribed and shown with respect to FIG. 11, enclosure 7001 may compriseother shapes and sides (e.g., circular, cylindrical, spherical,triangular, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 12, a process 8000 for accessing a data storagelibrary to perform a service procedure therein according to oneembodiment is disclosed. While process 8000 may be considered for thesake of convenience and not with the intent of limiting the disclosureas comprising a series and/or number of steps, it is to be understoodthat the process does not need be performed as a series of steps and/orthe steps do not need to be performed in the order shown and describedwith respect to FIG. 12. It is to be understood that the library may benonoperational, partially operational, or fully operational during aservice procedure. At 8002, at least one enclosure is provided, with theat least one enclosure surrounding at least a library access opening ofat least one data storage library. The at least one enclosure forms ainterior chamber. At 8004, any access doors associated with accessopening(s) of the at least one enclosure may be closed. However, it isto be understood that access opening(s) need not always be closed, andthus 8004 may be optional. At 8006, the chamber formed by the enclosureis acclimated to the desired environmental conditions found within thedata storage library. Such acclimation may be accomplished, at 8008, byproviding air from at least one environmental conditioning unit into thechamber, either through an opening (e.g., a vent, crack, etc.) in the atleast one data storage library or directly to/from library frameenvironmental conditioning unit(s) to provide air into the chamber (at8010), and/or by providing a dedicated enclosure environmentalconditioning unit separate from the library frame environmentalconditioning unit(s) so as to deliver conditioned air into the chamber(at 8012).

At 8014, the environmental conditions within both the at least one datastorage library and the chamber may be detected. Alternatively, thepassage of time may be detected at 8014 if there are no environmentalsensors. At 8016, a determination is made whether or not theenvironmental conditions within the chamber are within a desired rangeof the environmental conditions within the at least one data storagelibrary. Alternatively, at 8016, a determination may be made as to acertain predetermined or calculated passage of time. Still further, 8014and 8016 may comprise technician judgement as to whether or not theenvironmental conditions within the chamber are within a desired rangeof the environmental conditions within the at least one data storagelibrary. If no, the chamber continues to acclimate toward theenvironmental conditions within the at least one data storage library.However, if yes, the data read/write operations of the data storagelibrary and/or any accessor movements within the data storage librarymay optionally be disabled at 8018 (e.g., for technician safety frombeing struck by a moving robot), and the chamber of the enclosure isaccessed through the enclosure access opening at 8020. For example, thechamber may be accessed by manipulating an access door (e.g., a librarydoor, I/O station access port, a removable panel, etc.) in order to openthe enclosure access opening at 8022. Finally, the interior of the datastorage library is accessed via the library access opening of the atleast one data storage library at 8024, thereby enabling insert orremoval of media, a service, upgrade and/or maintenance procedure to beperformed within the data storage library while minimizing and/orpreventing the intrusion of unconditioned air from the externalenvironment (e.g., the data center) into the data storage library.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a process 9000 for accessing the interior of adata storage library to perform a service procedure according to anotherembodiment is disclosed. While process 9000 may be considered for thesake of convenience and not with the intent of limiting the disclosureas comprising a series and/or number of steps, it is to be understoodthat the process does not need to be performed as a series of stepsand/or the steps do not need to be performed in the order shown anddescribed with respect to FIG. 13. It is to understood that the librarymay be nonoperational, partially operational, or fully operationalduring the service procedure. At 9002, at least one enclosure isprovided surrounding at least a library access opening of a data storagelibrary, thereby forming a chamber around at least the library accessopening of the data storage library. At 9004, any access door(s)associated with the access opening(s) of the at least one enclosure maybe closed. However, it is to be understood that access opening(s) neednot always be closed, and thus 9004 may be optional. At 9006, air fromat least one environmental conditioning unit is provided into thechamber. For example, the air may either be provided from the interiorof the data storage library via an open vent in the data storage library(or directly from a library environmental conditioning unit) at 9008,and/or the air may be provided via an enclosure environmentalconditioning unit separate from any library environmental conditioningunit(s) at 9010.

Optionally, at 9012, waste air generated by the at least oneenvironmental conditioning unit of the data storage library mayoptionally be vented to avoid mixing with air in the chamber. At 9014,optionally the environmental conditions within both the at least onedata storage library and the chamber may be determined via at least oneenvironmental condition sensor. At 9016, optionally a determination ismade whether or not the environmental conditions within the chamber arewithin a desired range of the environmental conditions within the atleast one data storage library. If no, air from the at least oneenvironmental conditioning unit continues to be provided into thechamber. However, if yes, in one embodiment, any accessor movementswithin the data storage library may optionally be disabled at 9018, andthe interior of the data storage library is accessed via the accessopening of the data storage library at 9020, thereby enabling insert orremoval of media, a service, upgrade and/or maintenance procedure to beperformed within the library frame(s). If environmental conditionsensors are not provided and/or the passage of time is desired fordetermining if the environmental conditions within the chamber arewithin a desired range of the environmental conditions within the atleast one data storage library, then 9014 may optionally determine thepassage of time and 9016 may optionally make a determination of apredetermined or calculated amount of elapsed time.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a process 9050 for accessing the interior of adata storage library in one embodiment to perform a service procedure isdisclosed. While process 9050 may be considered for the sake ofconvenience and not with the intent of limiting the disclosure ascomprising a series and/or number of steps, it is to be understood thatthe process does not need to be performed as a series of steps and/orthe steps do not need to be performed in the order shown and describedwith respect to FIG. 14. At 9052, at least one enclosure is providedsurrounding at least an access opening of a data storage library,thereby forming a chamber around at least the access opening. At 9054,at least one enclosure environmental conditioning unit is provided,wherein the at least one enclosure environmental conditioning unit isfluidly coupled to the at least one enclosure. At 9056, any accessdoor(s) associated with access opening(s) of the at least one enclosuremay be closed. However, it is to be understood that access opening(s)need not always be closed (or manually closed), and thus 9056 may beoptional.

At 9058, air from the at least one enclosure environmental conditioningunit is provided into the chamber. The environmental conditions withinthe at least one data storage library and within the chamber optionallymay be determined at 9060. For example, at least one environmentalsensor may be used to determine the environmental conditions within thedata storage library and within the chamber at 9062. At 9064, optionallya determination is made whether or not the environmental conditionswithin the chamber are within a desired range of the environmentalconditions within the data storage library. If no, air from the at leastone enclosure environmental conditioning unit continues to be providedinto the chamber. However, if yes, the interior of the chamber may beaccessed at 9066, and the interior of the data storage library isaccessed via the access opening of the data storage library at 9068,thereby enabling insert or removal of media, a service, upgrade and/ormaintenance procedure to be performed within the library frame(s). Ifenvironmental condition sensors are not provided and/or the passage oftime is desired for determining if the environmental conditions withinthe chamber are within a desired range of the environmental conditionswithin the at least one data storage library, then 9060 may optionallydetermine the passage of time while 9062 may optionally be omitted, and9064 may optionally make a determination of a predetermined orcalculated amount of elapsed time.

Referring to FIG. 15, a process 9070 for accessing the interior of adata storage library to perform a service procedure according to yetanother embodiment is disclosed. While process 9070 may be consideredfor the sake of convenience and not with the intent of limiting thedisclosure as comprising a series and/or number of steps, it is to beunderstood that the process does not need to be performed as a series ofsteps and/or the steps do not need to be performed in the order shownand described with respect to FIG. 15.

At 9072, at least one enclosure is provided, wherein the at least oneenclosure is configured to surround at least one service opening of atleast one data storage library, thereby forming a chamber around the atleast one service opening of the at least one data storage library. At9074, the enclosure is erected so that at least one side wall of theenclosure surrounds the service opening of the at least one data storagelibrary. At 9076, air from the interior of the at least one data storagelibrary is communicated into the interior of the enclosure. Thistransfer of air may optionally be achieved by opening a vent in the datastorage library at 9078. The vent may be opened manually (e.g., by atechnician moving a vent closure, closing an enclosure service opening,enclosure access door, etc.) or automatically (e.g., using actuators ormotors under the control of a library controller or under the control ofan environmental conditioning unit).

At 9080, optionally an access door associated with the access opening ofthe at least one enclosure may be selectively opened and closed so as toallow a technician access into the enclosure. The movable panelassociated with the access opening of the data storage library may beselectively opened, removed and/or closed, thereby allowing thetechnician to access the interior of the data storage library from theenclosure at 9082.

Referring now to FIG. 16, a process 9090 for accessing the interior of adata storage library to perform a service procedure according to yetanother embodiment is disclosed. While process 9090 may be consideredfor the sake of convenience and not with the intent of limiting thedisclosure as comprising a series and/or number of steps, it is to beunderstood that the process does not need to be performed as a series ofsteps and/or the steps do not need to be performed in the order shownand described with respect to FIG. 16.

At 9092, an enclosure is erected or moved into place adjacent a datastorage library, with the enclosure having a working opening. Theenclosure working opening is configured to be in communication with anaccess opening of the data storage library. Specifically, at 9094, theenclosure working opening may be arranged to be opposite the datastorage library access opening.

At 9095, the interior of the enclosure is acclimated, thereby bringingthe environmental conditions within the enclosure to be at, near, and/orwithin a desired range of the environmental conditions within the datastorage library. At 9096, a technician optionally may access theinterior of the enclosure through an access opening. The technician mayaccess the interior of the data storage library through the enclosureworking opening and the access opening of the data storage library at9097. Such selective access may enable insert or removal of media, aservice, upgrade and/or maintenance procedure to be performed within thedata storage library while minimizing and/or preventing the intrusion ofunconditioned air from the external environment (e.g., the data center)into the data storage library.

It follows that various embodiments described and/or suggested hereinare able to provide data storage systems, and optionally, automated datastorage libraries having environmental control capabilities associatedwith the automated data storage library, with at least one enclosurecapable of providing an environmentally-controlled access point. As aresult, favorable conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, absence ofcontaminants, etc.) may be maintained for the data storage drives, datastorage cartridges, and/or data storage media which may be stored in thelibrary frame, even during service procedures in which the accessdoor(s) or panel(s) of the library frame must be opened. Undesirableenvironmental conditions (e.g., air contaminants, condensation formationand/or accumulation on the media, and its subsequent effect oncontacting devices) may also be resisted, inhibited, and preferablyavoided. Inhibiting and substantially avoiding the formation andaccumulation of condensation and moisture may be particularly beneficialfor tape libraries, tape cartridges and tape media.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Moreover, a system according to various embodiments may include aprocessor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor,the logic being configured to perform one or more of the process stepsrecited herein. By integrated with, what is meant is that the processorhas logic embedded therewith as hardware logic, such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc. By executable by the processor, what is meant is that thelogic is hardware logic; software logic such as firmware, part of anoperating system, part of an application program; etc., or somecombination of hardware and software logic that is accessible by theprocessor and configured to cause the processor to perform somefunctionality upon execution by the processor. Software logic may bestored on local and/or remote memory of any memory type, as known in theart. Any processor known in the art may be used, such as a softwareprocessor module and/or a hardware processor such as an ASIC, a FPGA, acentral processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit (IC), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), etc.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode may include at least one processor, which may be or be part of acontroller, coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through asystem bus, such as controller 400 of FIG. 4. The memory elements caninclude local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, such as nonvolatile memory 404 of FIG. 4, bulk storage, and cachememories which provide temporary storage of at least some program codein order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulkstorage during execution.

It will be clear that the various features of the foregoing systemsand/or methodologies may be combined in any way, creating a plurality ofcombinations from the descriptions presented above.

It will be further appreciated that embodiments of the present inventionmay be provided in the form of a service deployed on behalf of acustomer to offer service on demand.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An enclosure configured to at least partiallysurround at least one library access opening to permit access to aninterior of an enclosed data storage library, where the data storagelibrary contains data storage devices and components to read the datastorage devices, the at least one library access opening having amovable panel, the enclosure comprising: at least one surface configuredto surround the at least one library access opening and form a chamber;a working opening in a surface of the enclosure and configured andadapted to be aligned with and be oppositely facing at least a portionof the at least one library access opening and wherein the enclosureaccess opening is configured to permit movement of the movable panel topermit access to the interior of the enclosed data storage library; andat least one enclosure access opening in the at least one surface topermit access to an interior of the chamber, wherein the enclosureaccess opening is openable and closeable, and is positioned in adifferent location than the working opening, wherein the enclosure isconfigured to enclose one side of the enclosed data storage library toresist environmental conditions from intruding into the chamber of theenclosure, and is further configured to permit environmental conditionsfrom within the interior of the library to intrude into the chamber ofthe enclosure.
 2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure isformed of at least one flexible material and wherein the enclosurefurther comprises a collapsible frame structure.
 3. The enclosure ofclaim 1, wherein the enclosure is formed of at least one rigid materialselected from the group consisting of wood, plastic, carbon fiber,metal, and combinations thereof.
 4. The enclosure of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one environmental sensor for measuring at least oneof temperature, humidity, and combinations thereof within the enclosure.5. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the at least one access opening hasan access door to impede intrusion of exterior environmental conditions.6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure further comprises atleast one vent, wherein the at least one vent is configured tocommunicate with an exterior of the enclosure.
 7. The enclosure of claim1, further comprising a skirt extending along a bottom portion of theenclosure to provide a barrier between a bottom portion of the of thedata storage library and a surface upon which the data storage librarystands.
 8. A temporary enclosure configured to at least partiallysurround at least one library access opening to permit access to aninterior of an enclosed data storage library, where the data storagelibrary contains data storage devices and components to read the datastorage devices, the at least one library access opening having amovable panel, the enclosure comprising: at least one surface configuredto surround the at least one library access opening and form a chamber,the surface formed of a flexible material; a working opening in asurface of the enclosure and configured and adapted to be aligned withand be oppositely facing at least a portion of the at least one libraryaccess opening and wherein the enclosure access opening is configured topermit movement of the movable panel to permit access to the interior ofthe enclosed data storage library; and at least one enclosure accessopening in the at least one surface to permit access to an interior ofthe chamber, wherein the enclosure access opening is openable andcloseable, and is positioned in a different location than the workingopening, wherein the enclosure is configured to not enclose the entireenclosed data storage library and is configured to be readily deployableto form the chamber and readily collapsible for repositioning, theenclosure further configured when deployed to resist environmentalconditions from intruding into the chamber of the enclosure, and isfurther configured to permit environmental conditions from within theinterior of the library to intrude into the chamber of the enclosure. 9.The enclosure of claim 8, further comprising at least one environmentalsensor for measuring at least one of temperature, humidity, andcombinations thereof.
 10. The enclosure of claim 8, wherein theenclosure access opening has an access door to impede intrusion ofexterior environmental conditions.
 11. The enclosure of claim 8, whereinthe enclosure is configured to enclose only one side of the data storagelibrary which includes the at least one access opening of the datastorage library.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least oneenclosure is formed of at least one flexible material, selected from thegroup consisting of nylon, polyester, canvas, cotton, silk, plastic,foil, para-aramid synthetic fiber, and combinations thereof, and furtherwherein the at least one enclosure comprises a collapsible framestructure.
 13. The enclosure of claim 11, further comprising insulationto resist environmental conditions from intruding into the enclosure.14. The enclosure of claim 8, further comprising a skirt extending alonga bottom portion of the enclosure to provide a barrier between a bottomportion of the data storage library and a surface upon which the datastorage library stands.
 15. A system comprising: an enclosed datastorage library having at least one environmental conditioning unitconfigured to control at least one environmental condition within theenclosed data storage library, wherein the data storage library isconfigured to read and receive media associated with one or more datastorage devices, and further wherein the data storage library comprisesat least one access opening for accessing an interior of the encloseddata storage library, the enclosed storage library having a movablepanel associated with the at least one access opening; and an enclosureconfigured to surround the at least one access opening of the encloseddata storage library and form a chamber, the enclosure comprising: aworking opening formed in a surface of the enclosure and configured andadapted to be aligned with and oppositely facing at least a portion ofthe access opening, the working opening to permit movement of themoveable panel to permit access to the interior of the enclosed datastorage library, an enclosure opening formed in the enclosure to permita person access to the chamber of the enclosure, the enclosure openingbeing openable and closeable and positioned in a different location thanthe working opening, wherein the enclosure does not enclose the entiredata storage library and forms a barrier to resist environmentalconditions outside the data storage library from intruding into theinterior of the data storage library when the movable panel is moved toexpose the at least one access opening.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the enclosure encloses only one side of the library whichincludes the at least one access opening of the data storage library.17. The system of claim 15, wherein the enclosure further comprises atleast one environmental sensor, the at least one environmental sensorconfigured to sense at least one environmental condition within the atleast one enclosure.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the enclosureis at least partially formed of at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of flexible materials and rigid materials, the flexiblematerials selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester,canvas, cotton, silk, plastic, foil, para-aramid synthetic fiber, andcombinations thereof, and the rigid materials selected from the groupconsisting of wood, plastic, carbon fiber, metal, and combinationsthereof.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the enclosure opening hasan access door to impede intrusion of exterior environmental conditions.20. The system of claim 15, wherein the enclosure further comprises atleast one vent, wherein the at least one vent is configured tocommunicate with an exterior of the enclosure.